Students in Springfield, Ohio, are caught up in chaos that has nothing to do with them.
Schools were forced to close for several days after 33 bomb threats, and two universities moved classes online after a shooting threat specifically targeted “members of the Haitian community” following unfounded accusations that immigrants were eating people's pets.
Experts are concerned not only about whether students will be able to concentrate and learn under threat, but also the long-term impact on students who have witnessed how false political allegations can upend their communities.
“Exposure to threats of violence or safety concerns, even indirectly, such as through conversations between adults or overhearing news reports, can have a negative impact on children. In response, children may show obvious signs of fear or anxiety, such as verbalizing their concerns and seeking reassurance, or not wanting to be separated from their caregivers or return to school,” said Sabrina Liu, M.D., an assistant professor and licensed clinical psychologist at California State University, San Marcos.
“But in response to such events, children often exhibit difficulties concentrating, disruptive behavior and changes in sleep and appetite,” Liu added.
And those feelings can be made even more difficult by the political climate around Springfield, where immigrants may feel isolated or marginalized because of rumors circulating about their community.
“I worry about students who feel extremely stressed when they hear this kind of language and rhetoric directed at aspects of their personal identity. […] “We try to foster a sense of belonging and connection to school,” says Justin Heintz, director of school safety at the Firearm Injury Prevention Institute, co-director of the Research and Academic Core, and associate professor at the University of Michigan. “So when they hear derogatory or very negative things said about their school or their school community, that can have an impact.”
The false accusation that Haitian immigrants were stealing and eating pets first emerged late last month at a Springfield City Council meeting, where a speaker from a neo-Nazi group was expelled for threatening “all the Haitians we bring in.” A week later, a Facebook post accused Haitians of killing a cat. The cat was later found alive, reportedly by a friend of the poster's neighbor's daughter.
The conspiracy theory was further emphasized by Republican vice presidential nominee and Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, and then by his running mate, former President Trump, during his highly-anticipated debate with Vice President Harris.
“They're eating dog in Springfield,” Trump yelled.
Two days later, the bomb threats began.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) has denounced the baseless claims and deployed state police to all of the city's schools. The governor has said that none of the bomb threats have been found to be legitimate.
“As a supporter of former President Donald Trump and Senator J.D. Vance, I am saddened that they and others continue to denigrate legal immigrants living in Springfield and repeat claims that lack evidence,” DeWine said in a New York Times op-ed published Friday. “These rhetoric harm our city and the people who live there and have spent their entire lives there.”
“It saddens me that Springfield has become the epicenter of such fierce criticism of America's immigration policies,” he wrote, “because it has long been a diverse community.”
When pressed about the conspiracy, Vance said he was trying to draw attention to immigration issues in general and strained infrastructure in Springfield, which has seen a significant influx of immigrants in recent years.
But experts say the false allegations are causing considerable damage.
“There's a political frenzy, almost a hysteria, surrounding this particular situation, and I think these situations tend to be self-replicating,” said Jesse Borelli, a professor and associate director of clinical training at the University of California, Irvine.
“So, one accusation is made and then other accusations are made that can potentially create fear. So it can be frightening especially for children and they can start thinking, 'Okay, what's going to get pulled out from under them next? What horrible thing is going to happen next?'” she added.
Explaining what’s going on across different grade levels, especially, can be a balancing act for schools and parents.
“I think kids are listening to political conversations going on in the background at a younger age than adults might expect,” says Winston Thompson, an associate professor of philosophy and the history of education at Ohio State University. “So I think it's totally appropriate to talk to kids about these issues, because being silent about these issues doesn't mean they're being exposed. It just means that we're trying to grapple with and understand situations in which they may have incomplete information or misinformation.”
Some parents are calling for schools to implement remote learning until attention on the city fades.
But parents and adults also need to be aware of community tensions, especially given the racial and ethnic roots of the conflict.
“I think with the influx of immigrant populations, schools have to be really careful that they're not creating a situation where people who are relatively recent arrivals feel alienated, or that they're creating suspicion or xenophobia from people who have a long history in the area and families that have deep roots that have been there for a long time,” Thompson said.
“Schools should strive to educate people to recognize their common humanity and common faith as members of a political and civic environment,” he added.
