Kentwood parents notified of concerning social media posts

Fox 17 has obtained a letter sent home to parents of students at East Kentwood High School and the EK Freshman Campus Sunday evening.

Superintendent, Kevin Polston, wrote to 9th-12th grade students, families, and staff, sharing information about conversation threads circulating on social media over the weekend that "may be concerning to some of our students and families."

According to the investigation by the Kent County Sheriff's Office, a student was reported to Deputies at Friday night's football game between East Kentwood and Byron Center for having a knife.

Deputies confiscated a pocket knife from the student and determined the student meant no harm to anyone, but rumors began to spread via social medial.

Statement from the Kent County Sheriff's Office


BYRON CENTER, Mich: The Kent County Sheriff's Office has been investigating allegations of a school threat at Byron Center Schools and East Kentwood Schools. Our investigation revealed that this threat is a product of rumors and speculation shared over social media. We take these threats seriously, and we work alongside the districts involved to conduct thorough investigations.

Last Friday, Byron Center Schools hosted a football game against East Kentwood Schools. During the game, our School Resource Officers were told about a Byron Center Student who had a knife. Our School Resource Officer located and confiscated the pocket knife and determined the student did not have any intent to harm anyone. As a result of this interaction, rumors started that this student was going to commit an act of violence. A Snapchat story was created, fueling this rumor, which was shared throughout our community.

KCSO has uniformed deputies at football games to ensure the safety and security of the community. We value our community's willingness to share their concerns so we can conduct thorough investigations.

READ MORE: Byron Center Schools closed after threat to middle, high schools

The superintendent complimented the student who made them aware of the comments in a timely manner.

The district says it investigated the situation with the Kent County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officer.

The superintendent says the district was able to successfully resolve the situation and says there were, at no point, credible threats to the community.

He did offer a reminder to students and family members that they can confidentially report any concerns to either Silent Observer or OK2Say .

Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube