Birmingham Student's Columbine Tweet Sparks Momentary Panic

BIRMINGHAM, MI — A Birmingham Public Schools student's Tweet referencing Columbine sparked momentary panic and caught the eye of the Birmingham police, according to a new letter to parents and students from Seaholm High School Interim Principal Kyle Hall.

A Lincoln Street Alternative High School student posted a Tweet on Jan. 13 containing the words "debating Columbine," yet a fast-moving investigation by Birmingham police concluded there was no threat to students or staff at any time. Instead, police discovered that the student's Tweet was in reference to a class discussion about documentaries and the Columbine massacre.

Columbine is considered one of the most disastrous school shootings in American history. On April 20, 1999, Columbine High School students Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris went on a killing rampage at the school, murdering 13 people and injuring dozens more. After the attack, Klebold and Harris committed suicide.

Below please find the full email statement dated Jan. 13 from Hall:

Dear Seaholm and Lincoln Street families,

We wanted to share with you some information about an incident that occurred this morning on social media from a student at Lincoln Street Alternative High School. A message was posted on Twitter containing the words “debating Columbine”, which prompted the immediate attention of the Birmingham Police Department. However, looking into the situation further, it was found that the class, in fact, was debating the validity of documentaries and the film about the Columbine event came up in the class discussion. We understand our parents may have had concerns and we wanted to address this with our community. Be assured that this situation has been assessed and investigated and we have concluded that no threat was intended. We thank the Birmingham Police Department for their immediate response.

Sincerely,

Kyle Hall
Interim Principal
Seaholm High School

Seaholm High School and Lincoln Street Alternative School did not immediately return Patch's interview requests.

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