MI School District To Refund Prom Tickets After Canceling Event Due To Gun Threat

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, MI — One metro Detroit school district is issuing refunds after officials said they were forced to cancel prom due to a gun threat.

Clintondale Community Schools interim Superintendent Kevin Knoblock said the district has decided not to reschedule the event because of the ongoing investigation into the threat.

He said there is no timeline for when the investigation will be completed, so the district plans to refund students' tickets.

"Until the investigation determines otherwise, the information is considered credible and is being treated with the utmost seriousness," Knoblock said. "The safety and well-being of our students, staff, and community remain our highest priority."

The prom was supposed to be held on June 2 at the Blossom Health Inn in St. Clair Shores when the threat came in roughly an hour before the event started.

Officials described the tip as a "planned school attack," which stated that a student may be bringing a firearm to prom. The tip was submitted through the OK2SAY hotline.

School officials ultimately canceled the prom as police investigate the matter. Since then, they have not released any details about a possible suspect.

Clinton Township Trustee Shannon King, who has a daughter at Clintondale High School, told WDIV that families were devastated by the sudden cancellation.

King said he has worked with several community groups to put together a free replacement event, which will take place at the Anton Art Center in Mount Clemens on Friday.

A GoFundMe was also created to support the prom.

Knoblock said in a statement the community effort to recreate the prom would not be a school-sponsored event.

"Any plans, discussions, or activities related to dates, locations, or amenities associated with the Community Activist Project, including efforts to independently organize or reschedule prom, are solely those of community members and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or coordinated through the district," he said.