IRA TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Parents packed a school board meeting Monday night in Anchor Bay to find out what will happen to an honor student who said he overheard a school threat.
A 14-year-old student insisted he overheard a threat and did what he thought was right, but school officials believe the freshman disrupted school for no credible reason. The special board meeting lasted several hours as school officials tried to decide if the student will be kicked out of school.
But the boy will return to school Tuesday after the school board voted to not expel the him in a unanimous decision. The boy's family will now fight to get his record cleared with school administration. His suspension has reportedly been more than 10 days.
Many parents went to the meeting in support of the student. The St. Clair County Sheriff's Department investigated the case, and no charges were filed against the teenager. It was determined he went to the "OK2SAY" app to report the threat.
The Anchor Bay High School principal explained the direct threat.
"A group of students talked about shooting up their class on March 23," he said.
Despite the report being made through an anonymous tip, investigators traced it back to the boy, whose father thinks his son did the right thing.
"OK2SAY has been touted since the Florida shooting," his father said. "Go to the website. If you won't do this, who will do this?"
But school officials believe the teenager lied and sent the tip because someone he knew threatened to harm him. The principal testified before the board, and the boy's story changed when interviewed by police.
"The deputy asked about the specific date, time, and he said he didn't recall," the principal said.
The boy's family and attorney insist that he reported two separate complaints. His father also said his son told him he could "pick them out of a lineup," and "nobody else has brought him a lineup."
The school board president is also demanding the Sheriff's Department reopen the investigation to try and find the student who the 14-year-old originally overheard.