What might have been considered a prank for students 40 years ago, making threats at school is now a crime.

Just days after the Oxford High School shooting several schools around West Michigan began receiving threats and false reports causing many schools to shut down out of an abundance of safety for students and staff.

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Muskegon County officials wasted no time in tracking down those who made direct threats.

According to FOX 17, Muskegon County Prosecutor DJ Hilson assured parents on Wednesday, that the danger against area educators appears largely resolved. There were numerous charges made from disturbing the peace to false reports or threats of terrorism against students, ages 12 to 14 in six different districts.

Most of the threats were pranks by kids trying to get out of going to school. One 8th grade student at Mona Shores Public Schools posted a threat on Snapchat to get out of going to school, is now looking at a five-year felony.

FOX 17 reported, "In order to violate the statute, you don't have to necessarily have to threaten with a gun or a knife or a bomb," Hilson explains. "if you use words that suggest that something bad is going to happen or something violent is going to happen, that is enough."

Parents should speak to their children and make sure they are aware of the consequences of making any kind of a threat whether it is a joke or not. Schools, law enforcement, and prosecutors are taking all these threats seriously and students will be prosecuted.

All the threat cases in Muskegon County are not related. It has been determined that students, in general, were just trying to get out of going to school.

Students making a threat is not a joke, is not a prank, and will no longer go overlooked.

Parents let their kids know that they can get into trouble for sharing a threat online even though they did not make the initial threat.

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