Parents Demand Social Media Oversight After Oxford High School Shooting

ROCHESTER HILLS, MI — After multiple schools closed Thursday across the Detroit area for potential threats posted on social media, communities are concerned officials aren't doing enough to monitor social media accounts.

Parents across the area expressed concerns about what they're seeing on social media after multiple reports, including one from The Detroit News, revealed that 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley wrote and talked about the attack ahead of Tuesday's shooting. Crumbley wrote about killing classmates in a journal and his cell phone also recorded videos of him talking about following through with the attack, authorities said.

“I have a high schooler at Adams and an elementary student at Brewster. The things my daughter showed me on media screenshots were really concerning!” one parent from metro Detroit said in a Facebook group.

“I have a daughter in high school. She was scared to go in today after all the stuff going around on social media. The Kids spreading 'potential threats' should be held accountable, but parents need to be more involved in what their kids are doing on social media,” another metro Detroit parent said from the same group.

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Some feel that paying more attention to social media accounts can prevent attacks like Tuesday's shooting at Oxford High School by preventing them from planning and detailing them.

"If they are threatening the school and students, the last thing you would want to do is keep them in that environment... that would increase their access and wherewithal to carry through, and their knowledge of the school’s safety protocol and how better to breach it," a metro Detroit resident said.

Several police departments throughout the Detroit metro area also reminded residents about the Ok2Say program, which allows anyone to anonymously report tips about potential danger toward students or school staff. It can also be downloaded as an app from the Google and Apple app stores.

But some in the community called on prosecutors to press charges over fake threats.

“False threats need to be prosecuted as well. There should be zero tolerance. You post a threat, you're expelled. No second chances, then maybe kids and parents will realize this is not a joke. This free rang parenting doesn't work,” a metro Detroit resident said in a Facebook group.

Responding to some concerns in the communities, the Macomb County Sheriff's Office said in a statement it would “take every report with the highest priority.”

The statement left at least one metro Detroit resident with even more questions.

“Thank you for your diligence, but I must ask: Why is no one in custody for making these threats??? These kids need to be held accountable for making false threats, it's an act of terrorism. There should have been a zero tolerance policy in place for this long ago.”

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