In the wake of the tragedy in Florida, parents here in Mid-Michigan say they're concerned about the safety of their kids' schools.
Those concerns hit close to home for one local district after it was shut down for the past two days after a shooting threat was made against it’s junior-senior high school.
FOX 47's Cryss Walker spoke with parents in Stockbridge.
Parents and school staff were understandably on edge Thursday night.
Police say a 14-year-old student confessed to a shooting threat at the junior-senior high school.
School will be back in session Friday morning but parents say they want the district to step up security to help keep their kids safe.
“Having the building locked down i think is important”, says Andrea Winnie.
“Police presence, security, maybe having a security guard, you know that would be nice,” Winnie continued.
Many parents feel the same way.
Chris Robinson says he's not opposed to having a security guard but he feels school safety starts at home.
“Parents talking to their kids every day, making sure there's no problems in school or you know”, Robinson said.
“Monitoring their uh social media pages. Anything like that I think is gonna be helpful in the long run”, Robinson continued.
Pamela Costolo, says her grandchild attends the school and she says she raised all her children in Stockbridge and always felt the community was safe but because of recent threats are a concern of hers.
“I'd like to see metal detectors to be quite honest with you. I mean it sounds bad but honestly, I would”, said Costolo.
The grandmother also says children need school counselors to help them with their issues.
"A lot of times there's mental illness and I don't think the state of Michigan really has enough help out there for our children today. I truly believe that and I don't think our schools do either”, Costolo continued.
Students also chimed in off camera.
They say they feel Stockbridge is a very safe community and they don't feel threatened but increased security and locked doors during school hours would make them feel safe.
However, one student said he did not like the idea of metal detectors because he felt like it would be an invasion of privacy.
The superintendent of Stockbridge Public Schools says the student behind the threat may face criminal charges.
We'll let you know if any charges end up being filed.
