Foreign Language Robo Call To Students In Harper Woods Mistaken For Bomb Threat

HARPER WOODS, Mich. (WWJ) - Students are making their way back to a local high school after some thought they received a bomb threat via a robo call Sunday. But, WWJ's Ron Dewey reports, it was just a misunderstanding.

Apparently, a group of Harper Woods High School juniors received the message in a foreign language. It was meant to remind the students that the ACT tests were coming up this week.

Somehow, these messages were construed as some sort of threat of violence which led to calls from worried parents to the WWJ newsroom and to Harper Woods Police.

The superintendent of the Harper Woods School District, Todd Biederwolf, said they're still trying to figure out how this happened, but he wanted to make it clear that there was no threat whatsoever to the high school.

"For reasons that we don't yet understand we believe that we have activated this message in a language other than English," Biederwolf said. "We know the origin of the call, it does not represent a threat in any way."

Classes were resuming this morning as usual, although it's still not clear what caused the confusion.

Following is the statement released by Harper Woods Police.

"There has been speculation of a possible bomb threat that was received via Robo-Call from inside the school around 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon. There has been no indication or confirmation that such threats were made. The Harper Woods Police and school officials are looking into the matter further. There has been no official school closing for Monday morning classes. The Harper Woods Police Department and the school district will make a determination before school begins to ensure the safety of the students and staff."