Royal Oak Middle School made headlines earlier this month after a “Build the wall!” chant rang out during a lunch period in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s win.
Now, the same Michigan school is back in the news — this time after a noose was found in a bathroom.
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A student has admitted to putting the noose in a restroom at the school Friday, according to a statement from Shawn Lewis-Lakin, superintendent of schools. He or she was “removed” from the middle school, Lewis-Lakin said.
“Effective immediately, the student responsible for the noose has been removed from the middle school until further notice,” Lewis-Lakin said in the statement. “All relevant school policies and procedures are being followed and enforced. The Royal Oak Police investigation into this matter is continuing.”
It was not immediately clear whether the student had been expelled or suspended.
“The student has been removed from the school,” Lewis-Lakin said in an email to The Washington Post, when asked to clarify what had happened. “We have disciplinary processes and procedures and they are being followed.”
In his statement, Lewis-Lakin said he and the middle school’s principal would meet with every grade at Royal Oak this week “to reiterate and reinforce our school’s strict policies on intimidation, threats, harassment and bullying.”
“We will remind our students that inappropriate words or actions will be taken seriously and carry serious consequences,” he said in the release. “We will also have additional counselors and social workers to support students affected by this incident. We will be deploying an additional school safety officer to our middle school as well.”
The noose was found Friday in a third-floor bathroom, Lewis-Lakin said in an email to The Post. School officials and the Royal Oak Police Department investigated, the news release stated.
Lt. Keith Spencer of the Royal Oak police said Monday that the investigation is continuing.

Middle schoolers chant 'build that wall' during lunch

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Students at a middle school in Royal Oak, Mich., chanted "build the wall" in the school cafeteria, following Donald Trump's presidential win Nov. 9. (Anonymous via Storyful)
The discovery at the middle school came not long after a video surfaced, which captured students chanting “build the wall!” during a lunch period. That incident occurred the day after the presidential election, and was also confirmed with a statement from Lewis-Lakin.
“Yesterday, November 9, 2016, there was an incident during one of the lunches at Royal Oak Middle School that was captured on video and posted to social media,” that statement read. “In the incident a small group of students engaged in a brief ‘build the wall’ chant. School personnel in the cafeteria responded when this occurred.”
During the presidential campaign, Trump supporters often shouted “build that wall!” at rallies for the candidate, as they chanted in support of his proposal to construct a barrier along the border between the United States and Mexico.

Trump: 'The wall just got ten feet higher'

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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, when asked to comment on Mexico refusing to pay for a wall between the two countries, says, "The wall just got ten feet higher." (Reuters)
Royal Oak Middle School is in the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak, Mich. U.S. Census data from 2010 put the population of Royal Oak at about 57,200. Most of those residents, about 51,900 people, were listed as white.
“A majority of the students at that school absolutely do not support this,” Erin Casey, a Royal Oak parent, told the Free Press. “They are absolutely appalled by the behavior of a few. I think that it’s a small minority that’s really making time at the school for students of color, religious minorities, problematic. But I would say that, overall, that is not representative of the student body.”