How to “see something, say something” played a major role in this middle school

KENT, Ohio – Kent Police Lt. Mike Lewis is applauding the actions of several middle school students following an incident at Stanton Middle School where he said they overheard a 14-year-old student allegedly make direct threats to harm others.

Lewis said we can all learn something from this situation.

“We are always very grateful when students take our advice and when they see something, they say something, then they inform the appropriate people and give us the opportunity to investigate,” Lewis said.

Nearly a week has passed since Kent police said a student allegedly planned to harm other students on Nov. 13, and the case remains under investigation at Tuesday’s Kent City School District Board of Education meeting.

Meanwhile, Lewis said the student bears the consequences.

“He was charged with making terroristic threats, which is a third-degree felony for an adult, and aggravated menacing because he threatened to cause serious or fatal harm to another person with a weapon,” Lewis said.

Although Lewis said officers did not find a gun and a Kent Police Department police report stated that the suspect maintained he was not talking about a gun, Lewis said the charges stem from the specific nature of the 14-year-old’s threats.

“He made very specific statements about how he intended to carry out this threat, the specific type of weapon, make and model he would use,” Lewis said.

Superintendent Tom Larkin declined to comment further on the incident.

However, the letter Larkin sent to parents on Nov. 13 and later shared with News 5 on Tuesday states that Kent City Schools will follow the Ohio Revised Code, Board Policy and Student Code of Conduct when it comes to disciplining students.

The letter goes on to mention how this event highlights the importance of “seeing something… saying something,” which Rachel McKean, a junior at Kent State University, said is crucial.

“I think no matter what, no matter who it is, if it’s a friend or anyone who sees something that could put other people in danger, you should report it,” McKean said.

Even her friend Anthony Porach agrees, sharing a similar experience where he had to step up.

“Something like this happened at the high school, someone made threats and we students got together and reported it to the principal, so yes, I think if you see something, just say something,” Porach said.

“People need to take responsibility for their schools and their workplace, they need to be vigilant, and if a threat does arise, they need to take it seriously, and we are grateful that our students do that,” Chwytak said.

After the suspect was arrested, Kent police took him to the Portage County Juvenile Detention Center.