PLYMOUTH-CANTON COMMUNITY SCHOOLS

Plymouth-Canton Community Schools is making changes after multiple racist incidents happened at school.

Here are this morning's top stories.

Three high schools in the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools district will shift to virtual learning for one week after a Thursday threat triggered a four-hour lockdown at the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park (P-CEP).

A threat at the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park sent three high schools into lockdown for nearly four hours on Thursday as officers went from classroom to classroom searching for a gun.

Here’s what is coming up on Local 4 News at 11:

All three Plymouth-Canton high schools were under lockdown Thursday while police investigated a possible threat, according to district officials.

All three Plymouth-Canton high schools are on lockdown while police investigate a possible threat, district officials said.

Following the devastating Oxford High School shooting earlier this week, several schools across Southeast Michigan are increasing police presence or temporarily closing their buildings as they deal with their own threats.

Plymouth-Canton high schools are switching to virtual learning for Friday, Dec. 3, after students were dismissed early Thursday.

Following the horrific shooting at Oxford High School on Tuesday, school districts around Metro Detroit are ramping up police presence and are dealing with threats.

In order to attract credentialed bus drivers, Durham School Services is offering a $1,000 signing bonus for drivers who possess a CDL license and a $500 bonus for those without credentials.

Face masks will be required to be worn inside all Plymouth-Canton Community Schools district buildings until at least Oct. 31, 2021.

Plymouth-Canton schools are set to start in-person learning this fall.

PLYMOUTH, Mich. – A Plymouth teacher learned that two packages delivered to her home have been stolen from her porch. “I looked at my video and saw that one (package) was delivered and I got a second one,” Rocheleau said. She checked her home video and saw that a woman took the packages. While one package was work-related, the second package was likely from her son and daughter-in-law in Hawaii. She must be going through something too to go and take things from people.”AdAnyone with information is asked to contact the Plymouth Police Department.

There were comments coming from both sides of the issue, but the overwhelming majority did support the transgender policy change in the district. “We passed this policy to provide a more safe, welcoming environment for all of our students,” said Patti McCoin, Plymouth-Canton School Board president. McCoin was playing a bit of defense Tuesday night during a virtual meeting as she explained the new transgender policy had been under consideration for quite some time. What the change meansThe change allows transgender students to use the bathrooms and locker rooms that they identify with. The board president also pointed to communities such as Ann Arbor where they have a similar transgender policy and have not had any issues.

DETROIT – A curious parent requesting information from Plymouth-Canton Community Schools received a bill charging him nearly a quarter of a million dollars for the documents. Parent Tom Parrelley isn’t a fan of this decision and filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request looking for specific documents the school board depended on to make their choice. In a briefing Friday, Henry Ford’s chief clinical officer Dr. Adnan Munkarah said addressing those concerns is a top priority. This time they’re butting heads over the closure of bars and restaurants to slow the spread of COVID-19. Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey said he believes the COVID-19 ‘pause’ unfairly singled out the restaurant industryRead MoreThursday, Dec. 3, 2020 --

PLYMOUTH, Mich. – A curious parent requesting information from Plymouth-Canton Community Schools received a bill charging him nearly a quarter of a million dollars for the documents. “I wanted to know why the decision was made, what science and what facts were used and are continuing to be used,” Parrelley said. The father received a letter from the district saying that the cost of Plymouth-Canton Community School district records is $222,458.50 and requires paying half up front. “I checked the lottery numbers and I have not come through on them yet, which is my next best deal.”The school district told Local 4 that it “takes every Freedom of Information request it receives seriously. In this particular matter, the request captured an extremely broad range of potential keyword searches and covered an unbounded timeframe.

CANTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – On Monday, Plymouth Canton Community Schools Superintendent Monica L. Merritt announced in a letter to families that the district will be moving to a fully-remote learning environment. Effective Monday, Nov. 23, P-CCS will pivot to a fully-remote learning environment for all students in its early childhood, elementary, special education, and post-secondary programs, with a planned return to in-person learning for these programs on Monday, Dec. 7. Within our district, we currently have 193 students and 82 staff members in quarantine due to COVID-related reasons (positive, probable, or close contacts). The requirement to quarantine staff and students compromises our ability to provide a consistent, high-quality instructional program for our in-person students,” said Merritt. Gretchen Whitmer announced new COVID restrictions as cases continue surging and hospitals statewide are on track to reaching full capacity.

CANTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A beloved security guard in the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools district is a reminder of how devastating coronavirus has been for so many. Nov. 14: Michigan coronavirus cases up to 251,813; Death toll now at 7,994To the students, Lucas was more than a security guard. “Probably one of the greatest human beings I’ve ever met, to be completely honest,” said Plymouth High School senior David Brace. Brace said he would look forward to lunch time, when Lucas would share motivational words with the students. A drive-through memorial service is set for Sunday at 5 p.m. at Canton High School.

PLYMOUTH, Mich. – Police are investigating a fire at the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools Transportation yard off Lilly Road overnight Saturday. The buses were set to be decommissioned from the fleet, so the damage will not affect the bus schedule and students will not be impacted in any way, but police are still looking for those responsible for the fire that engulfed and destroyed four school buses. Who would want to set fire to not just one but four buses at the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools Transportation yard? The fire seemed to have started sometime Saturday night and police are looking for the people responsible for the potential arson. The only children utilizing the vehicles as a mode of transportation to school were elementary children who are learning on a hybrid set up of in-person and virtual-learning.

Plymouth-Canton Community Schools (PCCS) will begin the 2020-21 school year entirely online in the fall amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. However, the district is planning to transition to in-person learning following the remote start. The transition will begin with small groups of students and will include both in-person and online learning models. Middle and high school students should also expect to participate in synchronous instruction for about three hours each day. Click here to view Plymouth-Canton Community Schools entire fall plan.