LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Michigan State Police’s student safety program OK2SAY put out a 2021 annual report recently about their program. The program is a confidential way for students, parents, teachers and other concerned individuals to help prevent violence and make schools safer by confidentially reporting threatening behavior.
Michigan Public Act 183 of 2013 (Student Safety Act) requires that the Michigan Dept. of Attorney General collaborates with the Michigan State Police, MDHHS and the Michigan Dept. of Education to establish, operate and staff a hotline.
The hotline operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and protects the confidentiality of a reporter’s identity.
Once a tip is received, the information is promptly given to appropriate school officials, law enforcement and other agencies. In addition to the hotline, the program allows tips to come in via email, text, a website and a mobile app that is available for iPhone and Android.
In 2021, the OK2SAY program received 6,255 tips in 30 categories with the most reported incident being a planned school attack threat. Other issues reported were related to a whole host of things including assault, bullying, child abuse, domestic violence, drugs, explosives, gangs, guns, human trafficking, kidnapping, sexual assault,
suicide threats and weapons possession.
In the report, there were 1,786 tips referencing planned school attacks. The number of these tips was more than twice any other category threat. The OK2SAY program, which started in September of 2014, has had a combined total of 2,832 tips on planned school attacks, which means 2021 accounts for more than 63% of those tips.
The report states that tips in the 2021 calendar year were 67% higher than in 2020 due to remote/hybrid learning in 2020 and the presentation of the program to middle school students. Additionally, they also cited the fact that “people were more inclined to report threats to OK2SAY after the Oxford tragedy.”
The Oxford High School shooting occurred on November 30, 2021 in Oxford, Michigan, where four students were killed and seven injured, including a teacher, after it is alleged that 15-year-old sophomore Ethan Crumbley opened fire on them in a mass shooting. The OK2SAY report states that in the aftermath of the tragic mass shooting at Oxford High School “OK2SAY noted a dramatic increase in tips for December 2021. The 3,567 tips was an increase of 2,709% compared to those reported in December 2020.”
They said that tips typically escalate after a school shooting even if they happen in another state.
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They went on to say, “Within days of the Oxford tragedy, vague school threats emerged throughout Michigan requiring schools and law enforcement agencies to work around the clock to address each incident. In addition, a ‘challenge’ swept social media encouraging students to skip school but later evolved into threats of school shootings.
The baseless threats resulted in more than 100 school cancellations statewide. Dozens of individuals, mostly juveniles, have been charged in connection with threats of violence towards schools.”
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