Threat discovered at Fort Gratiot Middle School

St. Clair County Sheriff deputies and detectives responded to Fort Gratiot Middle School Thursday after a threat was reported. 

"A hand-written message was found on a stall in the girl’s bathroom. School has been dismissed for the day out of an abundance of caution.  St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office is currently on scene investigating," the sheriff department said in a Thursday morning press release.

Families were lined up around Fort Gratiot Middle School waiting to be reunited with their children after the threat was found. Superintendent Theo Kerhoulas and staff members of the middle school assisted officers in bringing the children to parents.

"When it comes to the kids, everyone drops everything and comes to help," Kerhoulas said.

He said the students at Fort Gratiot Middle School were calm and the parents' response was great.

Kerhoulas did not comment on the nature of the written threat.

Shortly before noon, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Catherine Woolman sent out an update to Fort Gratiot Middle School parents.

"Thank you to the amazing staff at Fort Gratiot and law enforcement," the update said. "Everyone did a great job creating a safe, calm and caring environment during a tough situation."

Additionally, the update said law enforcement is going through the middle schools to ensure its safety.

Shortly before 3 p.m., the St. Clair County Sheriff's Department released a new update on the situation at Fort Gratiot Middle School. After all students were safely released for the day, a thorough search of the school was conducted. Every classroom and locker were searched by deputies with negative results.

"As an extra safety measure, a Port Huron PD K9 trained in bomb detection, which includes the ability to locate firearms and ammunition, was also sent through the school to ensure nothing was missed. The school has been deemed safe by the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office."

In regard to who made the threat, it is still being investigated by detectives and no further information will be released at this time.