Michigan closes 33 schools early for Christmas over fears Mayan apocalypse could trigger another attack on students



Winter break has come early for children at 33 Michigan schools

The threat of a looming doomsday has forced dozens of schools in Michigan to close, authorities said today.

The Mayan calendar predicts that the end of the world will arrive tomorrow - and so students at 33 Michigan schools are being allowed to cut class early.



However, the closures are backed by more serious concerns about violence following the massacre at Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut last Friday where 20 students and six teaching staff died.

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Fears for the future: The Mayan calendar predicts that the end of the world is happening tomorrow

Matt Wandrie, superintendent for Lapeer Community Schools, told NBC : 'Given the recent events in Connecticut, there have been numerous rumors circulating in our district, and in neighboring districts, about potential threats of violence against students.'

He added that a number of rumors have been connected to Mayan apocalypse predictions and that the safest decision was to close early for the winter holidays.



Although there have been no concrete threats and any concerns were being closely monitored, Mr Wandrie said that parents and children were nervous.



It has been a tense six days across the U.S., since the school shooting in Newtown where a lone gunman executed teachers and young children before taking his own life.



School's out for the end of the world: One of the Lapeer community schools in Michigan which as closed its doors early because of the Mayan doomsday prophecy

A man has been arrested today after entering Sandy Hook Elementary - in Virginia - with plank of wood labelled 'high-powered rifle.'

The Strasburg school shares the same name as the Connecticut elementary school where 20 pupils and six adults were killed last Friday.

Christopher Garret Johnson walked into the school with a 4-foot long two-by-four labeled 'High Powered Rifle at 11.40 am.

Maj. Scott Proctor of the Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office said that the 33-year-old was apparently attempting to make a statement about school safety.



Never forget: A roadside memorial for the victims of Sandy Hook school who were gunned down last week

Hours after the massacre at Sandy Hook last week, a gunman boarded a school bus and threatened students.

Keith Petit, 29, is reported to have got onto the bus in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Friday afternoon and threatened to shoot anyone that crossed members of his family .

The children on board were heading to KIPP's McDonough 15 Middle School, 1,200 miles away from where the drama unfolded in Newtown, Connecticut.



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