A Michigan teacher was suspended over claims of 'insensitive' comments. A parent said he told students how he would've carried out the Oxford school shooting differently.
"Students were subjected to insensitive comments regarding violence and other concerning statements" by a teacher, the superintendent reportedly said.
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- A Michigan teacher was suspended after an inquiry into claims he said he'd "shoot up" his school.
- It's unclear exactly what he's accused of saying a day after the Oxford High School shooting.
- One parent said he gave details on how he would have done the Oxford school shooting differently.
A Michigan high-school teacher was suspended over comments he was accused of making in the aftermath of the Oxford High School shooting that left four dead last week.
Hopkins High School in Allegan County, south of Grand Rapids, placed the unnamed teacher on leave Friday after investigating rumors he said he was "going to shoot up the school," the local news outlet WZZM13 reported.
Gary Wood, the superintendent of Hopkins Public Schools, confirmed the suspension but did not mention exactly what the teacher was accused of saying.
"Students were subjected to insensitive comments regarding violence and other concerning statements," Wood said in a letter to parents obtained by MLive.com. "These comments took place in multiple class periods by a single teacher."
While Wood didn't appear to elaborate on the comments, one parent told the local TV station WWMT that the teacher mused to students about how he would have done the Oxford shooting differently.
According to Wood, students reported the teacher's comments to Hopkins High School's principal, Ken Szczepanski.
Szczepanski told WWMT that the school had issued memos advising teachers how to talk to students about the Oxford shooting and that one teacher took things too far.
Szczepanski told the station the comments were "insensitive" and "off-script" from the planned conversations but added that he believed the situation was "contained."
"We would not have been in school today had we not felt that it was a safe environment for these students," Szczepanski said.
The school notified police of the incident, and Michigan State Police has taken over the investigation, according to WZZM13.
Dozens of schools in Michigan closed last week after at least 100 copycat threats surfaced in response to the Oxford shooting, according to law enforcement.
Hopkins High School and the Michigan State Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider.