State troopers will be stationed at Springfield schools in a move to combat bomb and shooting threats that have plagued the community for almost a week.
Investigators had responded to 33 threats by Monday afternoon, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said a press conference in Springfield.
"And each one of whom has been found as a hoax. So 33 threats, 33 hoaxes, I will make that very, very clear," he said. "None of these had any validity at all."
A contingent of 36 Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers will be stationed across 17 school buildings starting Tuesday, Sept. 17, and continuing for the foreseeable future. The troopers will sweep the buildings before school starts and stay on-site to provide security through dismissal.
"Our children deserve to be in school," the governor said. "Parents deserve to feel that their children are being educated and that their children are safe ... Our schools must remain open. They're going to remain open."
Two Springfield elementary schools were evacuated Monday morning – marking the fifth day of threats and closures. Simon Kenton and Kenwood elementary schools were closed based on information from Springfield police.
It was the fifth and sixth Springfield schools to be targeted by threats in the past week. Multiple city, county and other government and business buildings also have been evacuated and closed after threats.
Springfield’s Culture Fest — a decades-long tradition celebrating the city's diversity — also was canceled, citing safety concerns.
The threats began after former President Donald Trump and his running mate, U.S. JD Vance, picked up and spread false and xenophobic rumors last week about the Haitian community in Springfield.
The FBI is investigating the threats.
Homeland Security also is conducting threat assessments for critical infrastructure in Springfield, and the state is sending bomb detection dogs and additional investigators to respond to any threats, said Andy Wilson, director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
Observation towers with cameras also have been set up, including in downtown.
"We have turned those over to the Springfield Police Division, allowed that resource, to be completely utilized by them, again, so they can constantly be aware of what's going on in some of these spaces, to more rapidly respond and keep their citizens safe," Wilson said.
The people making these threats want "to sow discord in our community and disrupt our our ability to do our normal functions that we have to do," Wilson said. "And we cannot we just can't let them do that."
Some of the threats have been generated outside the country, DeWine said, but he declined to detail which country.
"Some of them are coming from one particular country," he said. "We think that this is one more opportunity to mess with the United States and they're continuing to do that."
DeWine again denounced the rumors vilifying Haitians, said he would stick to the facts. Springfield has seen significant improvements in the past decade or so, he said, and lots of companies are looking at moving to the city.
The governor met with business leaders before the press conference Monday. Many of them told him that they had a real need for workers during and after the pandemic, and Haitians filled that need.
"One company that told me, 'You know, I don't think we would even be here if it wasn't for the Haitian employees,'" the governor said.
Most Haitians who have moved to Springfield are here legally, DeWine reiterated.
"These are people who care about their families. These are people who value education," DeWine said. "They are hard workers, and I think we should, we should respect that."
The current immigration system and Southern border are legitimate political issues worthy of debate, he said.
"I'm not saying people shouldn't talk about immigration or they shouldn't talk about the Southern border," DeWine said. "But I think I have an obligation to say what is going on in Springfield."
The increase in Haitian population over the past several years has strained health care providers, housing and schools, DeWine said. But those aren't insurmountable issues. He said he understands people are tense, but Springfield is a great place to live.
"Do we have challenges? Yes, we have challenges. But we're going to meet those challenges," he said. "We may not meet them overnight. But we're going to work at those challenges and those problems."
