Springfield schools stop closing for threats, add safety help from state

Megan Short, who has children at Snowhill and at the high school, said having officers at the school makes her feel her children are safe, but it’s still bittersweet.

“At first I was really happy about it because this means they’re putting our children’s safety first,” she said. “But it makes me sad that we have to get to this point that (OSHP) has to be here in the first place.”

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is sending 36 members of its field force to sweep all 17 Springfield City Schools buildings each morning before classes and to stay around during school and dismissal, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and school officials said at a Monday afternoon press conference in Springfield.

This is in response to 33 separate threats to schools, government offices, officials and hospitals since last week, none of which have turned out to be actual safety risks. DeWine referred to them as “hoaxes.”

Bomb threats have impacted Springfield government offices, schools and medical facilities in recent days following false rumors about Haitian migrants eating pets that Republican figures including former President Donald Trump and his running mate U.S. Sen. JD Vance have helped spread.

Threats have disrupted children from learning multiple times, and forced parents to leave work to pick them up in the middle of the day.

“Our children deserve to be in school, parents deserve to feel that their children are being educated and that their children are safe,” DeWine said. “As a parent and grandparent, and now great-grandparent, I fully understand the concern that parents have.”

Highway Patrol staffers could be seen walking the perimeter of Snowhill Elementary on Tuesday morning, checking the playground, and greeting students when they arrive. School officials said the teams will conduct sweeps of the buildings before and after school “to identify and address any potential threats, thereby ensuring that any threat made to the building during that school day is not credible.”

“Our students, staff and school community do not deserve to have their daily schedules disrupted by senseless threats of violence,” SCSD Superintendent Bob Hill said. “We appreciate the support of the state of Ohio, our parents and the Springfield community. Together, we will work to deploy the needed resources to keep our schools safe and ensure that our students receive the education they deserve. Better days are ahead for out Wildcat family.”

Trisha Simmons, grandparent of children attending Snowhill Elementary, said she really appreciated the law enforcement presence. Her grandkids had not attended school since Thursday because of the threats.

“We decided if the troopers were going to be here, that was the extra security that made us feel better, and we were willing to send them today,” Simmons said.

DeWine said threats have come from people overseas, many from the same country, which he declined to identify. But he did reference that country seeing another chance to “mess with the U.S.A.,” a possible reference to Russia or China.

DeWine said the threats are designed to sow discord in the city, something the community cannot allow.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol will allow Springfield police to use several of its patrol towers, which are equipped with cameras, for heightened security, director of public safety Andy Wilson said. One of those towers has loomed 30 feet over the downtown parking lot across from City Hall this week.

Ohio Department of Public Safety bomb detection dogs will be stationed in Springfield each day.

Members of Ohio’s Homeland Security office are also in the city.

“It’s been an incredibly busy few days for these men and women as they have responded to these threats again ... as you can imagine, the men and women who serve in the Springfield Police Division, they have their normal duties of basically doing patrol and keeping the city safe,” Wilson said. “It’s placed an incredible strain on the resources of Springfield to respond to some of these calls and these threats.”

OSHP Col. Charles Jones said that the agency will provide Springfield whatever safety resources it needs.

“The one thing we do know is that when we all work together it turns out better,” Jones said.

Hill said that the district’s crisis team is on hand to respond to emotional concerns, and the district has received offers from others to provide resources.

In response to question about a potential Trump visit to Springfield and how his presence would affect the tension in the community, DeWine said Trump and other politicians have “every right to campaign” where they want, and that he could only speak for himself. DeWine said it is his responsibility to find and share the facts.

The governor said the southern border is “porous” and there are legitimate concerns about illegal immigration, something he said those campaigning for office have a right to talk about.

“I’m not saying people shouldn’t talk about immigration or they shouldn’t talk about the southern border; they can talk about anything they want to, but I think I have an obligation to say what is going on in Springfield,” DeWine said.

DeWine said Haitian immigrants have helped struggling businesses, something he learned in a meeting with businesses that employ Haitian immigrants. He said these immigrants would not be able to work if they were not in the country legally.

“If you look how Springfield was 15 years ago, 10 years ago, even five years ago; we’re moving,” DeWine said.