A Michigan educator was suspended after allegedly telling his classroom, in graphic detail, how he would have better carried out the shooting at Oxford High School two hours away from their classroom in Hopkins.
Robert Wiersema has been placed on administrative leave after students complained he insensitively laid out a plan for better attack on the school in the class—while using a slur—and talking about how he would have carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks differently as well.
You can see local news coverage here:
According to emails sent by parents, Wiersema said "if he was going to shoot kids he would pull the fire alarm and send everyone to the cafeteria or football field and shoot them in the head at once."
"He also shared that he carries a gun with him and keeps it in his car every day," said Hopkins School Board member Jessica Johnson.
"This is very concerning to me and I was appalled to hear this and I can't imagine how the students feel after hearing this."
Great win, meanwhile, a TEACHER in Hopkins, MI. tells his students how Ethan could have shot more victims. Is anyone reporting on this? @GrantHermes @priyamanntvhttps://wwmt.com/news/local/hopkins-teacher-suspended-for-violent-detailed-comments-about-oxford-shooting\u00a0\u2026— Larry Dee (@Larry Dee) 1638710541
Teacher suspended after making alarming comments to students after the Oxford shooting\n\nHe said: \u201cThat he would\u2019ve pulled a smoke detector, so that he could create a distraction, in order to carry out his hitlist and kill the people that he would need to\u201dhttps://wwmt.com/news/local/hopkins-teacher-suspended-for-violent-detailed-comments-about-oxford-shooting\u00a0\u2026— Haylee \u2728 (@Haylee \u2728) 1638712096
This sounds like more of the #RittenhouseEffect. The way the school, white media, and law enforcement has all gotten on WS code is a major . @tariqnasheed @TaureanReignhttps://wwmt.com/news/local/hopkins-teacher-suspended-for-violent-detailed-comments-about-oxford-shooting\u00a0\u2026— Tr1ll Texas (@Tr1ll Texas) 1638661850
\u201cIt was gut-wrenching devastation that a grown adult would mentally harm our children this way," said a parent.https://wwmt.com/news/local/hopkins-teacher-suspended-for-violent-detailed-comments-about-oxford-shooting\u00a0\u2026— News Channel 3 WWMT-TV (@News Channel 3 WWMT-TV) 1638592560
In addition, the teacher shared disturbing details about how he would have interfered with the emergency response teams at the World Trade Center following the September 11, 2001 attacks.
According to an email from a student to Hopkins High School Principal Ken Szczepanski, Wiersema said he would have "done something to the water aqueducts" to prevent firefighting in the aftermath of the attacks.
America is very sick.— Optimistic Patriot (@Optimistic Patriot) 1638779022
Oh gosh. I can just imagine this guy. I mean, I bet a lot of us had that teacher with no filter who thought he was incredibly fascinating and wise, but UMM. NO THANK YOU.— Danielle (@Danielle) 1638776697
And folks want the teachers to be armed???— Melly K (@Melly K) 1638778289
I am speechless! What in the hell was this \u201cteacher\u201d thinking?!— DionyDaHell32 (@DionyDaHell32) 1638776463
Wiersema responded to the allegations via email, saying he was shocked and in distress about the allegations.
"I would consider myself to be one of the last people to possibly be a threat to the students," he wrote.
He also denied carrying a firearm or in any way suggesting he would carry out the attacks or in the methodology he described, saying he just wanted students to be "aware of their surroundings."
Szczepanski, however, found evidence Wiersema was regularly using "terrorist" as a racial slur.
In a Jeopardy!-style review uncovered by the principal, he found a clue that referred to a "scraggly bearded weirdo who wants to change the way things are by, and usually does so by hijacking, bombing, sniping, and other forms of mayhem."
A teacher. This is who people like Ethan and Kyle grow up to be.https://twitter.com/shannonrwatts/status/1467760726374686722\u00a0\u2026— LaSonya (@LaSonya) 1638819446
Can I just say, it\u2019s been happening so many times since I was a high schooler, that I can\u2019t remember. The Columbine killers & I were all born the same year: 1981. How many deliberate policy decisions led to this point? + pandemic to boot. -https://twitter.com/shannonrwatts/status/1467760726374686722\u00a0\u2026— Lily \ud83d\udc96s pronouns \ud83e\udd84 (@Lily \ud83d\udc96s pronouns \ud83e\udd84) 1638804745
It's not even close: if he said this he has no business being in the classroom. Fire him.https://twitter.com/shannonrwatts/status/1467760726374686722\u00a0\u2026— Slugtales! (@Slugtales!) 1638777866
We are all going to diehttps://twitter.com/shannonrwatts/status/1467760726374686722\u00a0\u2026— Erik N. Michaelsen, Uh-Turney (@Erik N. Michaelsen, Uh-Turney) 1638776542
Wiersema's case is undergoing a criminal investigation by the Allegan County District Attorney's Office, though no charges have been filed yet.
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