News highlights from the last 7 days

Michigan State University had two secure-in-place drills in the three years before the Feb. 13 mass shooting, the Detroit Free Press reported. The first was in March 2020 for Breslin Center staff, and the other was in October 2021 at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams to test secure-in-place locations within the new building. The night of the shooting, the school sent out alerts to students, staff and faculty advising them to secure in place, but many of those on campus had likely never undergone a secure-in-place drill. University police held at least 43 optional active violence trainings from January 2020 through December 2022, which included discussions about securing in place and other responses to mass shootings. The school announced March 1 that active violence intruder training will be mandatory for all students, faculty and staff beginning in fall 2023. 

In other related news:

The fourth of five MSU students wounded in the shooting was released from Sparrow Hospital. Guadalupe Huapilla-Perez was formerly listed in fair condition. She shared her gratitude on Facebook for the donations she received through her GoFundMe and the care she received at the hospital. One student, John Hao, remains at Sparrow in critical condition.

A man was arrested after being found with a knife near the MSU campus and later taken to a hospital. He was involved in an altercation with a local business when he brandished the knife, then left the scene and walked across Grand River Avenue to campus. East Lansing police found him at another store in downtown East Lansing and took him into custody. No one was injured. MSU police issued an emergency alert notifying students that someone with a knife was seen on campus and they should secure in place. Later, they sent an update that an assault had happened off campus and the secure-in-place order had been lifted. The man has not yet been charged, and it is unknown why he was hospitalized. 

Five parents are suing Holt Public Schools, alleging the district should have made an earlier effort to stop a former teacher from molesting students, the Lansing State Journal reported.

Patrick Daley was charged in fall 2018 and convicted of 18 counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct in 2019 after molesting multiple boys at Washington Woods Elementary School, where he worked for five years. His sentence could last up to 11 more years, but he has a parole hearing in 2026. The Sinas Dramis Law Firm filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan. The parents are listed as John and Jane Does to protect the children’s identities. The parents claim there were opportunities for the school to intervene earlier, including after a staff member emailed the district in January 2018 to report inappropriate touching by Daley in his classroom. The lawsuit alleged the district didn’t fully investigate the report, though Daley met with human resources officials in February 2018, who described him as having “excessive contact” with students.

East Lansing City Hall

East Lansing City Council moved to repeal an ordinance that requires landlords to provide new tenants with voter application forms and registration information. The Thomas More Society, a conservative nonprofit law firm, filed a lawsuit earlier this month on behalf of East Lansing-based Hagan Realty Inc., alleging the ordinance violates landlords’ First Amendment rights. City Attorney Tony Chubb stated that the ordinance is not actively enforced anyway, and voter outreach has largely moved online. He also said the ordinance is “further unnecessary due to changes in state law allowing for same-day voting.” City Council unanimously approved a moratorium, effective immediately, and asked Chubb to draft a resolution repealing the ordinance. The resolution will be read at City Council’s next meeting on Tuesday (April 4).