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Death threat closes Richmond Community Schools

Death threat closes Richmond Community Schools
Death threat closes Richmond Community Schools 01:34
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Alysia Burgio/CBS Detroit

RICHMOND, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - School is closed for a week, a reality for kids in the Richmond Community School District. This comes after an alleged death threat against a staff member and their family.

Our Alysia Burgio spoke to parents who say there's much more going on in the district than just threats.

"They're not being transparent. There's something going on within the district," said Carolyn Gallo.

On Tuesday, Richmond Community Schools Superintendent Brian Walmsley sent a letter to parents first addressing teacher shortages being a major problem.

Read the letter below:


"And then came the death threat," Gallo stated.

A death threat against a staff member and their family was buried in the letter.

"Is my daughter going to be safe if they go back to school on the 9th? I don't know," said Gallo.

We reached out to the school district and Richmond Police several times on Wednesday to find out how credible the threat is. We did not hear back from police.

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Alysia Burgio/CBS Detroit

Superintendent Walmsley responded and he says yes, the threat is credible, scary for those involved and while frustrating for parents, he believes it is necessary to cancel school for a week.

Meanwhile, Gallo says because there's so many unanswered questions and wild accusations against the district, she's calling on parents to get to the next board meeting on Monday night at 7 p.m. to speak up.

"There need to be some answers and some accountability. This is getting to be a circus," said Gallo.

We'll continue to follow this story for updates. 

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