Mount Clemens High School was forced to cancel Friday’s football homecoming game because of a lack of available referees then classes were called off due to a debunked threat of violence.
The high school on Cass Avenue was closed Friday was first attributed to a “building issue,” according to Kirk Duncan, principal of the secondary complex. Later Friday, the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office said a pair of shooting threats was found and are being investigated.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, deputies met with Mount Clemens High School administrators at 9:30 p.m. Thursday regarding a threats complaint.
Once school had been let out for the day on Thursday, a handwritten threat was located on a desk in a classroom, investigators said. The message indicated there would be a school shooting on Friday, believed to be Oct. 8. This message was believed to have been written on Thursday. A search of the building produced a second similar message on a separate desk. As a precaution, the school was then closed Friday.
The Sheriff’s Office could not be immediately reached for comment on whether the alleged threats were related to the homecoming cancellation.
Also Friday, Mount Clemens Superintendent Monique Beels sent a letter to parents indicating the Sheriff’s Office and school security have determined the note was not a credible threat to students or staff.
She added the school district has requested sheriff patrols at all their schools Friday. The Homecoming tailgate event was moved to next week. But Saturday’s homecoming dance will take place as scheduled.
Anyone with information to provide on this incident is asked to contact the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office at 586-307-9358 or leave an anonymous tip through the “MacombCo Sheriff” app, free on any smartphone.
Students and families received the voicemail about homecoming Thursday afternoon, shortly after teachers were notified about the disappointing developments.
“Unfortunately, (Friday)’s football game against Potterville will not be played as planned due to a shortage of available referees,” Duncan said in the message.
He added Scott Perryman, the school’s athletic director, had worked since August with the referee assigner to try to make sure Mount Clemens would have Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA)-approved crews of referees on hand.
Beels echoed Duncan’s comments, saying the Potterville match was an extra game, not part of the Charter School Conference schedule, of which Mount Clemens is a member. Both schools had an open date and agreed to play this weekend. Beels said the school district had been looking for officials to staff the game since August but were unable to find a crew.
Perryman contacted other referee assigners throughout the state and down to the border of Ohio, trying to find a crew who could work Friday or even Saturday. School officials said they were willing to delay the game by one day if a team of referees was available.
“Our last hope was for another school to cancel their game, but none have,” the principal told the Battling Bathers community in the voice message.
“Potterville has a long road trip to travel for this game,” Duncan continued. “So we had to make this difficult decision to cancel the game this afternoon.”
“We are definitely very disappointed,” Bathers coach Marcus Cribbs told The Macomb Daily. “My boys are really hurt, especially the seniors. But it looks like we will have a home game next week, and if so we will try to do it up as much as possible for the game and make it exciting and big for the boys, especially the seniors.”
Members of the football team expressed disappointment in the decision, especially for the senior players who won’t be returning to Mount Clemens Community School District next year.
“To have everybody in your city, your town to support you, to help you win,” one unidentified player told WDIV-TV (Channel 4). “Not to mention, we will be the first Mount Clemens team since the 2000s to go to the playoffs.”
A referee shortage in high schools across the country has been growing in recent years, but has become more pronounced in the past year. Officials say the pandemic, aging referees, and abuse from coaches and parents have all contributed to the decline.
Duncan said Mount Clemens may be involved in next week’s conference championship schedule.
“We hope to provide that exciting home game-atmosphere next week, so look for an announcement once conference games are determined,” he said.
The high school’s teachers and staff also received a text message Thursday night informing them that the building will be closed because of an unspecified building issue.
Teacher and staff members were told to still report for work Friday. They were to be advised in a forthcoming email about the time and location for a meeting, according to the voice message.
Sports Editor George Pohly and Online Editor Don Gardner contributed to this report.
