The Springfield School District in Ohio closed one middle school and evacuated two elementary schools on Friday as the city grapples with the fallout from baseless conspiracy theories about immigrants stoked by former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Republican Sen. J.D. Vance.
Following instructions from the Springfield Police Department, elementary school students were evacuated from the school and relocated to another location. Students were returned to their parents. The Springfield News-Sun reported..
Roosevelt Middle School was placed on lockdown before classes began in connection with a tip the school district received from police, the outlet reported.
It's unclear if the school evacuation is related to Thursday's bomb threat against Springfield City Hall, but explosives-sniffing dogs assisted police in clearing the scene Thursday, Springfield Police Chief Allison Elliott said. According to ABC News:.
City Hall was evacuated Thursday after bomb threats were made to “several properties” in the area, which also included two elementary schools.
It was later revealed that the bomb threat contained hateful language aimed at the city's immigrant population.
The threat came just days after Trump spoke at a presidential debate in Philadelphia about a conspiracy theory that immigrants, specifically Haitian immigrants in Springfield, were eating people's cats and dogs.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R), Springfield Mayor Rob Lew and other local officials dismissed Trump's comments and said pets are safe in Springfield.
Governor DeWine said the internet can be “pretty crazy sometimes.” He said immigrants choose Springfield because of the job opportunities, and that employers say “they're doing very good jobs and working very hard.”
Lu said Trump's exaggeration of false claims has created a “negative image” for the city of Springfield. He acknowledged that the city is experiencing “infrastructure strain” due to its growing immigrant population and that a “culture clash” is occurring as false narratives about immigrants continue to be spread within the community and by Republican presidential candidates.
DeWine made the announcement Thursday. The state sends He called on the state of Ohio to provide health care and public safety assistance to Clark County, where Springfield is located. The governor criticized the federal government for a lack of assistance, but said Ohio “is not going to walk away” from the influx of migrants into the region and the needs of the community.
President Trump doubled down on his attacks against Haitians on Thursday while campaigning in Arizona.
“There's a place you read about called Springfield, Ohio, where 20,000 illegal Haitian immigrants came into a town of 58,000 people and destroyed their way of life. This was a beautiful community and what's happening now is horrific,” he said.
Updated 11:58 a.m. EDT
