Superintendent Mike Esseily and Police Chief Issa Shahin recently published a safety letter to parents reminding them to talk to their children about the seriousness of making threats. The letter also includes links to online resources where parents and students can report concerning behavior.
Letter from Superintendent Esseily and Chief Shahin
Oct. 2, 2026
Greetings,
The start of the school year is filled with first time experiences for staff, students, and parents. It is also a time to get back into our regular school routines. An unfortunate routine, that we hope one day will no longer be needed, is to share this message about the seriousness of making threats of violence towards individuals or schools.
It has become far too commonplace for comments that threaten violent acts towards schools, buildings, or individuals to appear on social media platforms, in chats, or in conversations. Fortunately, a majority of these comments are not credible and when those making the comments are questioned they often say they were “just joking”.
“Just joking” is not acceptable!
When a threat is made there is no way of immediately knowing if the threat is real or another so-called prank. We must take every threat seriously. And every threat, even those that people make as a “joke” creates a disruption to the school environment and expends a significant amount of school and law enforcement resources. Making threatening comments is a crime. Those individuals who are found making comments could be turned over to the Wayne County prosecutor’s office and subject to criminal prosecution. We ask our entire community to have serious conversations with their children regarding the very serious consequences of their actions. It is essential that we, as adults, act as role models and demonstrate proper use of our communication tools and platforms.
We all need to work together, remain focused on our surroundings, report anything out of the ordinary to local law enforcement, and keep communications open and frequent. Each school website has an online SAFE BOX where anyone can report any behavior or activity that raises a safety concern. The State of Michigan offers a similar tool called OK 2 SAY. Both of these resources are available at any time.
We are very fortunate in Dearborn to have Ms. Elzayat, Dearborn Public Schools Director of Safety and Security; our district safety and security team; the dedicated Dearborn Police School Resource Officers, and the resources of the Dearborn Police who work together to quickly identify and take action toward those making threatening comments towards our schools. We thank all of the Dearborn Public Schools staff and all of the hard-working men and women who are part of the Dearborn Police Department for their continuous efforts to create safe spaces for children in school.
Our community and our schools will continually work to create a safe environment for all, ensuring Dearborn will always be a great place to live and learn. Wishing everyone a peaceful and productive school year.
Regards,
Issa Shahin
Chief of Police, Dearborn Police Department
Mike Esseily
Superintendent, Dearborn Public Schools