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File photo by Deb Jacques
ROSEVILLE — Roseville Community Schools dealt with two separate incidents last week that left staff and students unsettled.
On Friday, Nov. 21, a Roseville Middle School student allegedly brought a knife to school. Additionally, Roseville police are conducting an investigation into bullets and shell casings that were found at Roseville High School and Green Elementary School earlier in the week.
Student charged in knife incident
On Nov. 24, Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido announced via a press release that his office had brought charges against the Roseville Middle School juvenile.
After a review of the evidence that Roseville police presented, the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office charged the juvenile with three crimes: weapons — dangerous weapon — carrying with unlawful intent, a five-year felony; possessing a weapon in a weapons-free school zone, a 93-day misdemeanor; and disturbing the peace, a 90-day misdemeanor.
A preliminary hearing was held on Nov. 22 before Referee Michael Gibbs at the Macomb County Juvenile Justice Center in Mount Clemens. Gibbs released the juvenile with a $500 personal bond with house restrictions, no contact with the school unless permitted, and other standard bond conditions, according to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office, which raised objections to Gibbs’ decision.
The student reportedly had the knife in his locker and walked down the hallway with it in his fist. Roseville Community Schools Superintendent Mark Blaszkowski said that when staff members saw the student with the knife, they immediately radioed teachers and the school went to a shelter-in-place status for about five minutes. With a shelter-in-place order, students take refuge in designated areas, and nobody can enter or leave the building.
“Three staff members were able to get the knife from the student,” the superintendent said. “Staff disarmed him. It was quick and fast.”
Nobody was injured.
Roseville Community Schools is a school of choice district open to Macomb County residents who reside in another district in the county. The student charged with the knife reportedly resides in Wayne County, which does not align with the district’s residency requirements.
“(The student) may have had a change in residency,” Blaszkowski said. “There may be some issues at home we didn’t know about.”
The court ordered the petition be transferred to Wayne County for adjudication. The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office won’t be involved from this point forward.
Bullets, shell casings found at two schools
Roseville police are investigating another incident in which several .22-caliber bullets and shell casings were found at Roseville High School and Green Elementary School.
“We’re dealing with the issue. We believe it’s a social media challenge,” Blaszkowski said. “Kids will think something is cool and want to show (classmates), ‘Look what I got.’ We filed a police report in all of these. We’re reviewing our protocol.”
Blaszkowski said, “We got word from another student” that a student had posted “I dropped the bullets” on social media. Because the matter is under investigation, Blaszkowski said he could not comment further other than, “Currently, the student is not in school.”
On Nov. 19, Roseville Community Schools Deputy Superintendent Dave Rice sent a letter to parents that near the end of the day Nov. 18, two bullets/shell casings were found on the floor in the media center at Green. Roseville police were contacted, and students in the room at the time were interviewed. Police conducted a search in which no weapons were found. After the students were released, the K-9 unit was brought in and the building was searched. No weapons were found.
Later in the evening Nov. 18 during wrestling practice at Roseville High School, two more bullets/casings were found on the bleachers. Police were called. Participants at the practice were interviewed and police searched the entire building.
“No firearms or ammunition were found during this time frame,” Rice said in the letter.
On the following day, Nov. 19, two more casings/bullets were found in a shop class at the high school. School officials again contacted Roseville police. In the process, the school went into a shelter-in-place while teachers continued to teach. The police conducted interviews with the students who were in that area of classrooms, and the building was swept again using the K-9 unit. The shelter-in-place was eventually lifted.
“To this point, there has been nothing found as we continue to use an overabundance of caution for the safety of our students and staff,” Rice said. “Parents at the two schools were notified of the situation via phone, text, and email and were informed students would not be released at this time.”
RHS Principal Jason Bettin also sent a letter to parents Nov. 19 to let them know “that at no point were there any direct threats, or claims of threats being made towards students, staff, or the school.”
“Know that students we identify through our investigation will face severe Code of Conduct violations, including expulsion, as well as serious criminal charges,” Bettin said. “Please be certain to have a conversation with your children today about the very serious consequences they face for something the teenage mind thinks is a funny prank. We will continue to emphasize that message in school.”
Any threat that comes to the district, even if it’s a prank, is investigated.
“In today’s world with all the things going on, it creates a sense of fear. It’s disruptive to the students, teachers and learning,” Blaszkowski said. “We ask parents to help us. They need to check their backpacks regularly. Make sure they know what their children are going to school with.”
Students also are encouraged to let a parent or another adult know if they hear or see something suspicious, or call the Police Department at (586) 775-2100 or school district at (586) 445-5505. Students also can contact Michigan’s OK 2 SAY program to confidentially report tips on criminal activities or potential harm directed at Michigan students, school employees or schools. The OK 2 SAY website is ok2say.state.mi.us. Email tips to OK2SAY@mi.gov; text tips to 652729; or report tips by phone at (855) 565-2729.
