TCAPS Investigates Second Threat At West High School

Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) officials investigated a second threat in a week at Traverse City West Senior High School, a move the district said was made out of an "abundance of caution."

Parents were alerted by email Friday morning that TCAPS had received a tip that a student "made a casual comment about causing harm to others" Thursday night. Law enforcement and school administrators "worked through the night to assess the situation and ensured that school could open safely this morning," according to TCAPS. "Regardless, law enforcement was on-site today in an abundance of caution."

TCAPS asked parents to "take an active role in ensuring school safety" by talking to students about the seriousness of making comments, threats or references to violence. "Investigating flippant comments uses valuable school and law enforcement resources and causes a disruption to the learning environment," TCAPS wrote. "Any parent or student who receives information of a potentially threatening manner is encouraged to notify the appropriate authorities."

Authorites were also dispatched to Traverse City West Senior High School on March 10 to investigate an "inappropriate and unspecific statement" written in a boys' restroom referencing a bomb threat. Authorities swept the building and investigated the threat, ultimately determining it was not credible.