SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WXYZ) — School officials at Southfield High School for the Arts and Technology say a homeless 18-year-old was caught trespassing in the building.
A school spokesperson said it appeared he was first on campus on March 9th and then he was spotted again on March 13th.
They confirmed he interacted with at least one student. They say he did not stay overnight.
"Do you feel like they are downplaying," asked 7 Action News.
"Absolutely, per usual," said Ashleigh Anderson.
Anderson says it's hard to keep up with the drama at Southfield A&T High School. Her son is a freshman there.
"Once a week, once every two weeks we are getting something stating a fight happened or someone was tased. It's always an incident there," said Anderson.
Anderson caught wind of the latest incident through a Facebook post. A concerned parent was on the platform claiming her child heard a homeless man was staying in the school
"You guys found out yesterday and we are just now hearing about it today. What's going on? We know now because it was leaked, not because you guys sent an email, or sent a call, or locked down the school for further investigation," said Anderson.
After vetting the claims, we got this statement on behalf of the superintendent, Dr. Jennifer Green.
This is a communication to inform you of an incident at Southfield A&T. An 18-year-old male was found trespassing on campus during school hours. The trespasser was approached by a school resource officer and was removed without incident. Initial reports indicate that he may have been homeless and looking for a warm location and a hot meal.
We are taking this incident very seriously as the safety and security of our students and staff is a top priority at Southfield Public Schools.
Thank you for your continued support and understanding. We will continue to keep you informed through our district communications.
Anderson says she feels like this is par for the course.
"Not a shocker...terrible, but not a shocker," said Anderson.
According to the school, he was first found trespassing on March 9th. They say he wasn't there the next day because the school was closed due to the weather. He allegedly returned the following Monday.
"This is our community, those are our children we entrust with you guys, and they deserve better," said Anderson. "We deserve better."
We did follow up and ask the school how the trespasser got in, but they told us that is still under investigation.
