ROYAL OAK. Mich. – A Royal Oak Middle School student was removed from school until further notice after hanging a noose in the school's bathroom Friday.
The following statement was issued to the parents of the school's students by Shawn Lewis-Lakin, superintendent of Royal Oak Schools:
"At Royal Oak Schools, the safety of our students is our number one priority, and I am writing to provide you with an update regarding an incident on Friday at Royal Oak Middle School. An investigation by school personnel and the Royal Oak Police Department has identified a Royal Oak Middle School student who admitted to placing a noose inside the middle school bathroom on Friday. Effective immediately, the student responsible for the noose has been removed from the middle school until further notice. All relevant school policies and procedures are being followed and enforced. The Royal Oak Police investigation into this matter is continuing,"
Lewis-Lakin also said in the statement:
"At Royal Oak Schools, we will not tolerate intimidation, threats, harassment or bullying. Tomorrow, the middle school principal and I will conduct meetings with each grade at the middle school to reiterate and reinforce our school’s strict policies on intimidation, threats, harassment and bullying. We will remind our students that inappropriate words or actions will be taken seriously and carry serious consequences. We will also have additional counselors and social workers to support students affected by this incident. We will be deploying an additional school safety officer to our middle school as well. I encourage you to join me, our dedicated staff, our students and our families in wearing spirit wear and our school colors on Tuesday to demonstrate our continued commitment to working together as one community to ensure a positive, inclusive learning environment for all students."
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