Michigan Teacher Lands Suspension for Commenting on Oxford Shooter’s Technique
A West Michigan teacher has been suspended after making comments concerning what the Oxford High School shooter could have done differently.
Comments Made by Hopkins High School Teacher Deemed 'Extremely Scary'
The Hopkins High School teacher, whose identity has not yet been released, allegedly told students he would have "created a distraction" in order to kill more people he had been targeting.
"That he would've pulled a smoke detector, so that he could create a distraction, in order to carry out his hit list and kill the people that he would need to," a parent tells News Channel 3 in Grand Rapids. “It was gut-wrenching devastation that a grown adult would mentally harm our children this way.”
Hopkins is about a half-hour south of Grand Rapids on Michigan's west side.
The parent, whose identity has also been redacted, says the teacher's detailed commentary regarding how he would've committed the act differently is "extremely scary."
SEE ALSO: Parkland School Shooting Survivor Weighs in on Oxford School Massacre, Michigan Gun Laws
Hopkins School Principal Gave Staff Instructions
High School Principal Ken Szczepanski tells the station that staff members were given a memo with instructions on how to talk to students on Wednesday (12/1), the day after the deadly school shooting in Oxford that claimed the lives of four students.
Szczepanski says one teacher's comments were out of line.
“They were insensitive, in regard to being the day after Oxford and they were off-script,” he said.
The teacher is currently on leave while school officials and the Michigan State Police complete the investigation into the incident.
Comments Spark Rumors of Impending Violence
The teacher's inappropriate comments led to rumors that a school employee was going to "shoot up" the school.
The superintendent of the Hopkins Public School addressed the rumors in a letter to parents on Friday (12/3), saying the rumors "stemmed from an inappropriate classroom conversation."
Szczepanski went on to say the situation has been contained and that school would have been canceled if there were concerns about student safety.
Watch the full video report here.