The craziness over the "end of the world," threats of violence or the general jittery state of school districts in wake of the Connecticut shootings have prompted some schools in Michigan to head to winter break early.
MLive reports schools in Genesee County, about an hour north of Detroit, will be closed Thursday and Friday as a result of threats of violence tied to end of the Mayan calendar "swirled around area school districts." The Free Press reports that other district shutting down early for the winter break included Lapeer Community Schools, Almont Community Schools and Dryden Community Schools.
The Genesee Intermediate School District issued a statement, according to MLive, that said:
"It is clear that last Friday changed all of us. As educators, we acknowledge, and we believe our communities would agree, that schools are at the center of concern right now. As school district Superintendents we have been in constant communication with one another and there are too many unique factors that have influenced our unanimous decision to cancel school and all school activities for Thursday, December 20 and Friday, December 21.
"Our communities are anxious, parents are concerned about the safety of their children, there are rumors that have multiplied as a result of social media, and there are threats within local districts that bring pause as to whether conducting classes would be appropriate. We have discussed information from local law enforcement, the realities of being able to investigate every threat, information related to district sensitivities, and our concerns about whether a normal instructional day could be achieved."
