Katrease Stafford and Lori Higgins

►Update: Birmingham superintendent responds to viral 'build the wall' video

►Update: Royal Oak protest planned after 'build a wall' video

Royal Oak middle school students chanting, “Build the wall.” An investigation into reports of white students in DeWitt blocking pathways for minority students. Reports nationwide of schoolyard bullying in the wake of Tuesday’s presidential election.

The incidents, a response to the election of Donald Trump as the next U.S. president, created some tense situations in schools, and had some school leaders planning to spread the same message of unity being promoted by President Obama, Hillary Clinton and Trump.

“It’s been stressful for a lot of people,” said DeWitt Superintendent John Deiter, whose district is investigating several incidents that occurred Wednesday. “It’s something we’re going to have to help our students with.”

Social media, indeed, was abuzz with reports happening nationwide of students bullying other students in the wake of the election. The nonpartisan education news site "the 74" chronicled much of it Thursday, including reports of fights, students being harassed and students spreading hate messages.

►Related: Claims of racially charged incidents investigated at DeWitt schools

Meanwhile in Royal Oak, a viral video of Royal Oak Middle School students shouting, “Build the wall,” during a lunch hour Wednesday prompted the school’s principal to send a strong message to his students: “This is not who we are.”

That message, posted to YouTube on Thursday, was in response to an incident during the seventh-grade lunch hour. Principal Todd Noonan said in his response — which appeared to have been broadcast during school announcements Thursday morning — that the chanting by the small group of students made their classmates and many community members in Royal Oak and beyond feel alienated and unwelcome.

“This is unacceptable,” Noonan said.

“Because this incident, brief though it may have been, made people feel unsafe, it was an incident that requires an unequivocal response from all of us. ROMS, this is not who we are. Everyone is welcome in our community of learners. We build bridges, we work together. We push each other, respect each other. We help each other. This is who we are.”

The video, which had more than 4.8 million views and more than 102,000 shares by 6 p.m. Thursday, shows a group of students leading the chant in the cafeteria. The woman who posted the short video on Facebook, Dee Perez-Scott, said in a brief caption that the incident happened Wednesday.

►Related: Trump presidency sparks anxiety, action among Muslims, blacks

"The taunts, the 'Build that Wall' with such bullying power and hate from children to children," Perez-Scott said. "Just horrifying!"

The phrase "build the wall" became a signature chant at Trump's rallies across the nation during the campaign after he said he planned to build a wall separating the U.S. and Mexico.

In DeWitt, Deiter said he’s looking into a report of one, and possibly two, incidents Wednesday at DeWitt Junior High School that he described as troubling.

“We had some reports … that students locked arms and said they were not going to permit minority students to pass by them. We’re trying to figure out exactly what happened,” Deiter said.

At other schools in the district, students have been “bringing in questions and frustrations about the election from both sides,” Deiter said.

He spent much of Thursday talking to reporters about the reports, but said the district will come up with a plan to address the issues with students.

“There’s been a consistent message from President-elect Trump, President Obama and Clinton about unity and moving forward,” Deiter said. “We want to try to stress that message with our students.”

It’s what they’re also stressing in Dearborn Public Schools. David Mustonen, spokesman for the district, which has a large population of Muslim students, said he wasn’t aware of widespread incidents of students upset about the election.

But he said that during the primary, when Trump talked frequently about plans to limit Muslims from entering the U.S., school staff heard often from students worried they’d be deported.

The district is always on alert whenever national or international events occur that are tied to Middle East because they know “they’re going to impact our students a little bit more.”

“When appropriate, in the appropriate classes, at the appropriate age levels, we’ll engage in dialogues about world events and national events, such as the election.”

And if students are having a difficult time, there are social workers and school psychologists available to help.

“I’m hoping the speeches by Hillary, by President Obama, which were just outstanding speeches about coming together, moving forward, understanding the process of peaceful change of power in our country … provide some confidence and reassurance to those who may be upset about everything that’s going on,” Mustonen said.

In Royal Oak, Superintendent Shawn Lewis-Lakin released a statement Thursday to parents and the community, saying "small group of students engaged in a brief" chant and school personnel in the cafeteria responded. Thousands of comments were posted on the video, some demanding action from the district.

It's not exactly clear how the staff responded. One adult can be seen briefly standing in the video while the children chanted. Lewis-Lakin could not be reached for comment.

"Because of the strong emotions and intensity of rhetoric that the posting of this incident to social media has elicited, we have had families express concern regarding student safety," Lewis-Lakin said. "Know that we work with our partners in law enforcement on responding to any and all threats that have been or will be made involving our students or schools."

Lewis-Lakin said the district is "committed to providing a safe, secure, and supportive learning environment for all students."

"We addressed this incident when it occurred," he said. "We are addressing it today. We are working with our students to help them understand the impact of their words and actions on others in their school community. Our school district and each building in it works every day to be a welcoming community for all, inclusive and caring, where all students know they are valued, safe and supported."

Lewis-Lakin urged the district to come together after the incident.

"In responding to this incident — indeed, in responding to this election — we need to hear each other’s stories, not slogans, we need to work towards understanding, not scoring points, and we need to find a way to move forward that respects and values each and every member of our community," he said. "We will be working on this in school today. Please work on this with us."

Contact Katrease Stafford: kstafford@freepress.com or 313-223-4759.