GRANDVILLE, Mich. — Grandville Public Schools returned to normal bus operations Tuesday after a bomb threat Monday forced the district to cancel all afternoon bus routes, disrupting transportation for thousands of students.
The threat came through an anonymous email provider outside the country, prompting a comprehensive response from multiple law enforcement agencies. Grandville Police, Michigan State Police and Grand Rapids Police deployed bomb-sniffing dogs to sweep all school buses in the district's fleet.
"We reach out to other agencies for assistance when we need to, and then to investigate this fully, to try to determine who did this and that we can prevent these from happening again," said Sergeant Garth Cross of the Grandville Police Department.
The investigation found no explosive devices, but police emphasized they treat every threat seriously.
"We take the safety of our community very seriously. There was no actual bomb found, but we treat every incident as if it is real and not a hoax," Cross said.
Superintendent Roger Bearup announced the bus service suspension through an open letter to parents Monday, creating immediate challenges for families across the district.
Parent Heather Burnham was attending ArtPrize downtown when she received the emergency notification.
"I was actually downtown at ArtPrize at the time for work, and I had gotten an email stating that we had to make transportation arrangements for our children. As soon as I got the email, I was running to my van," Burnham said.
The threat left many parents grappling with safety concerns. Burnham considered keeping her 8-year-old daughter home Tuesday.
"Absolutely, I did want to keep her home. But I didn't want to put my fear on her. She's eight, so it's a scary situation. I wanted to keep her home, but if it was just directed toward the buses, then I could at least bring her to school," Burnham said.
Parent Caiti Owens, who has four children attending three different schools in the district, expressed worry but praised the district's handling of the situation and commitment to student safety.
The investigation remains ongoing, with Grandville Police and Michigan State Police continuing to work on identifying the source of the threat.
"They contacted us, we had a meeting with school administrators, where they worked out the plan to essentially cancel the afternoon buses and then start working on notifying families," Cross said.
