All Genesee County Schools closed Thursday and Friday - ABC 12 – WJRT – Flint, MI

(12/19/12) - Dozens of districts across Mid-Michigan are canceling classes for the rest of the week.

All Genesee County School districts will be closed, as well as many other schools throughout our viewing area. It's all tied to rumors of recent doomsday threats.

Those threats are being taken very seriously following last week's school shooting in Connecticut.

"We don't have any immediate threats or dangers in school, we have a lot of, like you said, rumors, things the police are looking into, they're visiting students homes of rumors," said Lisa Hagel, superintendent with the Genesee Intermediate School District.

Hagel says it's all centered around social media. Some say the Mayan calendar marks this Friday as the end of the world.

"The students are calling it a 'student revolt,' saying that because the world is going to end, they're going to bring weapons to school or something like that, they'll take care of people they didn't like anyway before the world ends," she said.

She says these rumors are spreading across Genesee County and even into the Thumb. This, combined with the climate of fear circulating through schools after last week's tragedy in Connecticut, means GISD believes there's no way teachers can keep a normal learning environment this week.

"There isn't any intimate details kids are able to provide, or intimate danger," Hagel said. "We just feel it's best to cancel school for the next two days."

The superintendent says last week's shooting changed everybody and more so than ever, every threat must be taken seriously.

With so many threats circulating right now, it's taking a lot of man power to investigate them all.

To read the news release regarding the closures, click HERE.