Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

Hartland Consolidated Schools Superintendent Chuck Hughes emailed parents Friday, alerting them of "three bullets" found on a school bus, but said there was "no credible threat or weapon found."

It said "The students sitting in the seat were identified, interviewed, and searched by the middle school administration and the School Resource Officer assigned to the middle school by the Livingston County Sheriff's Office and parents informed."
The students who discovered the bullets reported it immediately.

Hughes also referenced a social media post from a former high school student "which is upsetting to students receiving it because it indicates something to the effect that bullets were found and you should leave school."

Hughes sent a follow up Friday afternoon:

Dear Parents,

This morning, I sent out a communication to ensure that you were aware of a situation we were investigating in which bullets were found on a school bus. I shared the social media concern to make you aware that your child might have received the information and may be notifying you with their concerns. Considering the school violence that we have experienced throughout the country, I felt you needed to be aware of this situation and our assessment as soon as possible when I had enough information to share.

It is important to note that the bullets were found in a seat after students stood up to get off the bus. The administration was quickly informed, and our School Resource Officer from the Livingston County Sheriff's Office worked side-by-side with administration to investigate and assess the situation. Once notified of the situation we completed the following:

1. We followed our processes such as interviewing students, searches, parent contact, video screening, etc.

2. No additional bullets or weapons were discovered in the process.

3. Transportation, Deputy King, and Mr. Howerton continued reviewing available video footage.

4. All parents of those riding the bus were contacted by phone by the middle school and high school administration regarding the situation.

5. Deputy King and Mr. Howerton determined the source of the bullets and handled the situation according to handbook protocols.

The determination of our team in this investigation confirmed the initial assessment that there was no threat to students or staff. Again, I want to thank Sheriff Mike Murphy, Deputy King, the middle school administration, the high school administration, and our transportation staff for their due diligence in handling this matter.

Respectfully,

Mr. Hughes