Hartland High School Vandalism Separate from Threats

Hartland Schools Superintendent Janet Sifferman has confirmed that the student responsible for the social media threats which resulted in  being  was not responsible for the .

The number 24 was spray painted on various signs and buildings on school property the week before the threats, and because of similar language, the district suspected they were connected.

“The student that issued the texts that were perceived as threats had nothing to do with the vandalism,” Sifferman said. 

The students associated with the vandalism of the school has been suspended and with the names being given to the assistant superintendent to be scheduled for an expulsion hearing.

The 18-year-old student who created a social media panic by sending Twitter and Facebook messages referencing the words, ” has been issued a 10-day suspension and will also be scheduled for an expulsion hearing before the 10 days are up, according to district policy.

The names of the students will not be released by Hartland schools, according to Sifferman. She said this is a protocol the district follows to protect the privacy of its students.

The question of whether the senior responsible for the threats will receive his diploma will also be decided at the expulsion hearing. 

“That's the opportunity for the student to have his due rights process,” Sifferman said, explaining that the student and parents will have a chance to speak. The board will also review school history, including grades and attendance.

“It’s not preconceived,” she said. “It has to go through the process.”

Sifferman also says that the situation has been resolved and asks parents to speak with their children about "proper and safe use of social media."

“Don’t ruin the end of your senior year by making threats or being a part of senior pranks or whatever,” she said. “The kids have made it this far, they have done a wonderful job, we want to celebrate their success, we don’t want to be in a position where because of poor decisions we have to come up with some sort of disciplinary action that would maybe prohibit them from taking part in our graduation celebration.”