Troopers to patrol schools in Springfield, Ohio, after threats linked to false claims about Haitian immigrants

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is deploying the Ohio State Highway Patrol to monitor schools in the city of Springfield after they received 33 bomb threats since late last week, he said at a news conference Monday.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is deploying the Ohio State Highway Patrol to monitor schools in the city of Springfield after they received 33 bomb threats since late last week, he said at a news conference Monday. Two colleges were moved to virtual learning and two elementary schools were evacuated Monday after receiving separate threats. The threats so far haven’t had “any validity at all,” DeWine said in a news conference Monday afternoon. The threats and closures come amid ongoing fallout from baseless allegations former President Donald Trump made during the second presidential debate that Haitian immigrants in the city are stealing and eating local pets. Students at Simon Kenton and Kenwood Elementary Schools were evacuated “to an alternate district location” Monday based on information district officials received from the city’s police, the Springfield City School District said in a release. “These are the fifth and sixth SCSD buildings to be targeted by recent threats within the last week,” the district said. DeWine said 36 troopers from the state patrol’s mobile field force will be present at all 17 school buildings in the Springfield City School District starting Tuesday. The troopers will sweep all school buildings before classes start and will remain on campus to provide security throughout the day and after dismissal, he said.