Children in Springfield, Ohio, arrived at school Tuesday morning to the sight of state troopers, deployed by the governor after a wave of bomb threats rocked the community.
Gov. Mike DeWine announced Monday that he was sending state police to the city to reassure the community that schools are safe and to prevent the threatened school evacuations that have disrupted learning over the past week.
At Snowhill Elementary School, Constable Andrew Sliwoski was stationed outside the building. “We’re happy to be here to help,” he said. “It’s unfortunate, though, that we have to be here.”
Dan Persinger, 37, who had just dropped off his two children at Snowhill, said he appreciated the police presence. “Tension is high and people are nervous,” Mr Persinger said.
The threats began last week after Donald J. Trump mentioned Springfield during the presidential debate, repeating an unfounded rumor that Haitian immigrants in the city were kidnapping and eating pets.
Since then, there have been 33 bomb threats against schools in the city, the most recent occurring Monday, when two elementary schools were evacuated because of the threats, Gov. DeWine said. City Hall and two hospitals in Springfield have also been threatened.
At a news conference Monday, DeWine said none of the bomb threats so far had “any validity.”
Still, the threats have rocked the city and disrupted classes for thousands of students. The deployment of 36 police officers to the city starting Tuesday was aimed at allaying concerns and ensuring students could focus on their studies.
“We must take every threat seriously, but children deserve to go to school and parents deserve to know their children are safe,” the governor said. “Enhanced security measures will help alleviate some of the fears these hoaxes have created.”
Even before Mr. Trump raised the rumor during the presidential debate, his running mate, J.D. Vance, had already been circulating rumors that Haitians in Springfield were eating pets — claims that city officials have repeatedly denied.
Thousands of Haitians have moved to Springfield since the Covid-19 pandemic to take jobs in the area. Mr. Vance, the junior senator from Ohio, had cited the city in recent months to criticize the Biden administration’s border policy because the new arrivals have put pressure on social services, clinics and schools.
Gov. DeWine said troopers would be present at 18 school buildings, including 17 schools checked all school sites on Tuesday before classes began and remained on campus throughout the day and after dismissal.
He said investigators had determined that many of the bomb threats came from outside the United States.
“Many of these threats come from abroad, made by those who want to stoke the current discord around Springfield,” DeWine said in a statement. “We cannot let the bad guys win.”
In a statement, Springfield City School District Superintendent Dr. Bob Hill decried the threats and their impact on students. “Our students, staff and school community do not deserve to have their daily schedules disrupted by senseless threats of violence,” he said.
Springfield’s higher education institutions have also faced threats and disruptions.
Classes at Wittenberg University were held remotely Monday following a series of email threats targeting the Haitian community, according to a statement from the liberal arts college.
Clark State College also announced that classes would be taught remotely and all activities would be rescheduled this week after receiving threats.
The city announced Monday that it would cancel an annual festival, called CultureFest, scheduled for Sept. 27 and 28, due to safety concerns.
Mr. Vance, who was the first to repeat the rumors, told CNN over the weekend that he had received numerous “first-hand” accounts from his constituents.
He rejected any suggestion that by repeating the lies he had helped to incite the threats, and said he condemned the violence.
“All I did was raise the complaints of my constituents, people who are suffering because of Kamala Harris’ policies,” he said. “Are we not allowed to talk about these issues because some psychopaths are threatening violence?”
Later, Mr. Vance said: “If I have to create stories to make the American media actually pay attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do.”
Kevin Williams contributing reporting from Ohio.
