The librarys trouble started in November 2021, when a man called police to claim that he spotted pornography on the shelves. Early this morning, law enforcement met with administration to do a second sweep prior to students arriving. The Advertizing and Publicity persons are Doug & Gloria Bateman. If we send you a request to change or remove Wisconsin Watch content from your site, you must agree to do so immediately. The perception is rooted in a group Harden formed, the United States Patriot Community, which says it helps United States Citizens prepare for, and fix the decay of America. The group meets in person and online, where members must first pay $40 and clear a background check. 1401 79th Street Causeway Codd confirmed that BSOs Bomb Squad and BSOs Threat Management Unit are on campus investigating. In fact, discussions of such strategies alone has reportedly resulted in decreased bomb threats at some schools. As tensions escalated during the bomb scares, Funkhouser called on Kiel residents to be the light and stay positive. WESH 2's Claire Metz reports police evacuated the school due to a bomb threat that several people received on their phones. If you value news from Wisconsin Watch, make a tax-deductible donation today so we can continue doing statewide investigations that matter to you. The school WILL and some Kiel residents welcomed the result, while others suggested that school board members submitted to a terrorists demands. It was a great win, Berg, the WILL attorney, proclaimed three days after the boards announcement. Classes were canceled Wednesday in District 149, which includes six schools in the Calumet City area. Some schools have put messages on their school phone voice mail directories indicating that calls may be recorded for security purposes. The library board overwhelmingly voted to keep the books on the shelves a win for those resisting backlash politics in Kiel. WSVN broadcast educational and informational programming for children, and file quarterly reports with the FCC detailing the station's outreach to children. Questions loom about how the outcome of a Title IX investigation in Kiel, Wis. might affect future Wisconsin school investigations and about what Kiels saga indicates about the trajectory of Wisconsins democracy. The Kiel Public Librarys trouble started in November 2021, when a man called police to claim that he spotted pornography on the shelves. The following school districts also reported delays/closings Friday: A spokesperson with the Johnson County Sheriff's Office told 13News that not all Johnson County schools received the threat. The public may view the reports by going to WSVN.com and clicking on "FCC Public File", or by visiting the FCC's website at FCC.org. High-profile school violence cases and other national incidents, along with easy access to formulas for homemade bombs on the Internet, have contributed to concerns about bomb threats, suspicious devices, and homemade bombs in schools, on school grounds and on school buses. CALUMET CITY, IL A bomb threat was called in Thursday to a Calumet City elementary school, forcing an evacuation, according to WLS. Henry County Sheriff John Sproles said he was informed early Friday of the threat, which was emailed to the Shenandoah School Corporation. The group is not anti-government, it says, but it helps members restore your communities to a constitutional republic, and hold court proceedings to bring tyrants and criminals to justice.. After speaking with both law enforcement agencies and a thorough sweep of each school building, we agreed to continue to monitor the situation throughout the evening. The disputes became heated, leading to an instance in which one of the accused boys threw food at the transgender student, she said. Their primary reason was that they did not see the email until this morning and did not have adequate time to search their buildings to ensure student and staff safety. ISP said it has been working with the Department of Education and various local and federal law enforcement agencies since, and no suspicious or explosive devices have been found in any schools. The districts swift closure of the investigation will send a chilling message to schools and districts that protecting transgender students could put them in danger, said Elizabeth Tang, senior counsel for education and workplace justice at the National Womens Law Center. We understand many of our students do not have their school-provided iPads at home with them. UPDATE 11:10am: The code red for Ramblewood Middle School has been lifted. The weaponization of CRT had worked making a faction in Kiel more concerned about a manufactured threat than the documented bullying of a Black student. Neighbors grew suspicious of neighbors. The rationale for this request is that the facility users (teachers, support staff, administrators, etc.) Ten bombs, fireworks strapped to aerosol cans, forced the closure of a California elementary school. For additional information, contactKen Trump. But in the early days of the pandemic, writer Christopher Rufo sharpened the phrase into a kind of weaponized, catch-all for the woke racial ideologies that progressives back and conservatives scorn. School officials chose to shut down the schools for three days as school and law enforcement officials investigated. Berg said WILL helped law enforcement by publicly condemning the threats and emailing the person who sent them, after obtaining the persons email from police. Everything flipped upside down for me, as it did with millions of others, he said. Questions about lesson content or resources should be directed to the classroom teacher.Thank you, and stay safe! Inflatable bounce houses coming to Castleton Square Mall for a limited time, LL Cool J bringing star-filled lineup to Indianapolis in first arena tour in 30 years, Monday morning Live Doppler 13 forecast May 1, 2023, May starts with temperatures 20 below average | April 30, 2023, Henry County teachers now equipped with lifesaving technology, Indiana schools receiving almost $23 million in school safety grants, Center Grove Schools using high-tech crisis alert system, putting security at staff's fingertips, Indianapolis preschool conducts training for active shooter scenarios, Securing our schools: How Jay County is keeping kids safe, Talking to kids about anxiety after Nashville school shooting, Tipton Community School Corp.: E-Learning, Western School Corporation: Two-hour delay. Both agencies mentioned to me that they were in contact with the FBI regarding the matter. Transportation facility and bus security issues should also be built into school security plans. We like to visit retirement and long-term care homes and other community events to dance for their entertainment and our well-being, as a Club and as a person! Because hes white and straight? In late 2011, a series of bomb threats including threats sent via international Internet proxy servers disrupted the Orange Public Schools in Pepper Pike, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb. Law enforcement is responding to the scene. A final notification about athletic and ECA events will be communicated as soon as we have made a determination. The parents were outraged at the school for what the families described as the mistaken use of the wrong pronouns using she to address the transgender student, who went by they/them pronouns. Like the Orange Public Schools incident, anxiety ran high in this universitys school community. When the school district took little action, the ACLU helped her escalate the complaint to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. WebOur study revealed that more than 70% of the threats involved shooting and/or bomb threats. The district is one of 35 across the state of Indiana that received the same threat late last night. Since we saw the email last night, we had the advantage of more time to ensure student and staff safety.". FORT LAUDERDALE - A bomb threat led to the temporary evacuation of a Pompano Beach school. For the moment, daily life in Kiel has resumed its normal rhythm. Berg acknowledged to Wisconsin Watch that WILL withheld some details from the narrative it pushed to the media, including hyper-partisan juggernauts Newsmax and Fox News Laura Ingraham. In July 2020, two months after Floyds murder and amid nationwide protests against violence inflicted upon Black Americans, the mother of a Black Kiel High School student discovered racist messages in her sons football teammate group chat. As we continue collaborating with our Speedway Police, Indianapolis Police Department, and other agencies, we are taking every recommended precaution and following prescribed safety protocols for bomb threats to ensure safety. The Democratic Party was caught a little flat-footed in terms of injecting money, Shaver said. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we investigate the situation. All kindergarten-8th grade after-school activities and athletics are canceled today. Then he worked to flip the school board to advance his brand of conservatism. It is not the Middle East. Assess the location of school pay phones (should any still exist on your campus) and consider reducing, limiting, and/or relocating the number of pay phones should they exist on campus. WebToday, we received a phone message at Billerica Memorial High School indicating a bomb threat for all schools throughout the district. Ahead of the 2022 spring primaries, the Wisconsin Republican Party sent about $284,000 to county GOP offices statewide, while the Democratic Party of Wisconsin sent just $85,000 to its county parties, according to a Wisconsin Watch analysis. Work with local law enforcement authorities from the jurisdiction of your individual school to determine protocols for evaluating bomb threats and procedures for evacuations. WebSeveral bomb threats prompted evacuations at four schools in Lake County on Monday. Statewide, school board races traditionally are sleepy, nonpartisan contests in which campaigns might raise a few hundred dollars, said Matt Rothschild, executive director of Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, which tracks money in politics. He has mixed feelings, however, about the violent threats used to pressure the board. I spoke to the Edinburgh Police Department and the Johnson County Sheriff's Department. In late May, the FBI arrested a 34 year-old-man in Oceanside, California for allegedly threatening to kill a Kiel schools staff member, but he was not believed to be the same person who emailed the bomb threats. All content Copyright 2000 - 2023 WSVN-TV. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. That case is pending as courts decide whether the plaintiffs that WILL is representing may remain anonymous. Graduation ceremonies were postponed. Funkhouser confirmed WILLs cooperation during the police investigation. Calumet City police spokesperson Sean Howard said someone called Carol Moseley Braun Elementary School Thursday morning to say there was a bomb inside Glossy, expensive-looking banners touted his challengers, while the marker ink on Johannes hand-drawn signs bled in the rain. Additional elements that are packaged with our story must be labeled. Another major issue for schools involves conducting of searches following bomb threats. Instead, they simply ask employees to look around and report suspicious items or things out of place so public safety responders can then follow-up with those particular items. Upon visiting the library, Funkhouser, the police chief, saw the books cartoon-like drawings of embracing couples. Recognize that some bombers, terrorists, and related offenders who plant bombs also place secondary explosive devices to harm first responders and others after an initial bomb is located and/or exploded. Kids are back to their summer activities. ; 2nd car thief still at large, 7-year-old girl airlifted after being bitten by dog in Miami Gardens, Investigations underway after 2 pest control workers die, 3rd critically ill after weekend work at Pompano Beach warehouse, BSO: Father charged after accidentally placing loaded gun in students bag. Sign up for our free story updates and Friday news roundups. Theyve chosen not to reveal everything, and theyre not obligated to, he said. Lifetime users of Kiels library, victims rights advocates, grandparents and school board members condemned book-banning. But some residents tell LGBTQ youth: you are not alone., Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Several public buildings in Kiel, Wis., including the towns main arteries, were targets of multiple bomb threats in May and June 2022. Critical race theory is the perfect villain, he told the New Yorker in 2021. Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. In April, Ty Bodden, who chairs the Republican Party of Calumet County, announced his state Assembly candidacy by touting an 80% success rate in managing local school and county races. Thats when the parents of three Kiel Middle School boys told news outlets that their children were under investigation for violating Title IX a federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools for allegedly bullying a transgender student. Is that why?. SUGAR LAND, Texas (KTRK) -- A Fort Bend ISD student has been arrested for possessing bomb-making materials. Since leaving an internship with Wisconsin Watch in 2013, Korans work has appeared in The New York Times, The Appeal, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, among others. 6:00 PM BOA and BOE Math and Science Night . Have a well-developed crisis communications and social media plan to get accurate information to parents, the media, staff and students. In 2015 we began a new annual tradition by hosting the Boys and Girls Club for a dinner and some dancing after. For that reason, and out of an overabundance of caution, I am calling an e-learning day today, on Friday, April 14th. There are no square dance competitions or exams. Miami, FL 33141 School leaders are forcing students from in-person learning back to remote learning as fights, weapon confiscations, and other safety threats soar. Police searched all schools in the district and found nothing. In the middle of the night, we received an anonymous email that made a bomb threat against our schools. Another parent said the children were running and screaming, which frightened her. Their challengers attack lines morphed faster than they could respond, roping in other Kiel institutions along the way. A number of cases have occurred nationwide where bomb threat calls and messages were made by students using smart phones. Plans and training should include issues related to bombs threats focused upon school buses, suspicious devices on buses and at transportation facilities, and actual explosions aboard and around school buses. The FBI has offered assistance as law enforcement continues to search for whomever issued the bomb threats that paralyzed Kiel. The investigation violated the boys right to free speech, he argued. Does China operate clandestine police stations in the US? As a one-sided story about a Title IX investigation of students at Kiel Middle School ricocheted across the mediascape in spring 2022, hateful messages poured in to school staff, according to Kiel police. WebDepartment of Homeland Security and Department of Justice. 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM Family Arts & Crafts Night . Some pointed to encouraging moments in recent months like the day at the library when the community renounced book banning. Update by the edhat staff1:30 p.m., December 13, 2022. Its website, which has since stopped functioning, prominently featured a video of Rufo asserting a connection between CRT and Marxism. This is about standing up for all the kids and educating them and making it inclusive.. Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. By May, Kiels political factions clashed over the direction of schools, public libraries and even the local farmers market. He said other officials hadnt spoken either before abruptly ending the call. It was the crossroads of COVID, isolation, bad grades, bad teaching policies, bad administration, he said. The Club has an annual membership drive every September (usually the second and third Thursdays after Labour Day). First, the middle school, then multiple Kiel schools. We were just concerned citizens reaching out to our neighbors, said Piper, a self-described proud member of Tri-County Citizens. A blanket exemption in that policy appears to give the board broad power in extraordinary circumstances.. In 2022, nearly every local race became partisan. After two searches that yielded nothing of concern and with the information that law enforcement had obtained, they gave us the all clear to conduct school as normal. We found that 30% of the schools evacuated and 10% closed school, oftentimes unnecessarily doing so, which revealed a need for school threat assessment training. We also want to thank the law enforcement agencies, school administrators, and building grounds staff who showed incredible teamwork today in ensuring the safety of our schools. And he described WILLs involvement as callous and self-serving. School Security & Emergency Preparedness Training, Managing Administrator & SRO Programs Training & Consultation, School Security & Emergency Preparedness Risk Vulnerability Threat Assessments, School Safety Roundtables: Electronic Teleconferences, Proactive School Security & Emergency Planning Book, 2015 national study of more than 800 violent school bomb threat and shooting threats, Proactive School Security and Emergency Preparedness Planning, School Security & Emergency Preparedness Risk/Vulnerability/Threat Assessments, School Security & Emergency Preparedness Professional Development Training, School Safety Roundtables: Electronic Teleconference Consultations, School Resource Officer/Police & Administrator Training, Post-Crisis School Safety Support Consulting, Increased school gun confiscations and use on campus: 10 steps to strengthen school safety and security, How Congress and the Biden Administration can restore meaningful programs to strengthen school safety, security, and emergency preparedness, School security expert witness says school safety civil lawsuits point to allegations of failures of human factors, not failures of security equipment and technology, Is remote learning the new crutch for school administrators when safety threats occur? The person who sent the threats acknowledged the investigations closure in a follow up message, but promised threats to any Wisconsin school district attempting to investigate similar complaints in the future, according to WBAY, which received the email. Watch for information from your school or teacher regarding assignments, or if that is not possible due to lack of access, follow up with your teacher when we return to the building next week. All student releases will continue from inside the school. The threat said that bombs in backpacks would explode in the school and that students would be shot after the explosions, Police Chief Fred Ryan told reporters. Stuart Long, a school board member, said the board did not let the threats dictate the outcome, but he acknowledged that they expedited deliberations. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by Wisconsin Watch do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates. We revealed this emerging trend more than five years ago. WebCalumet definition, a long-stemmed, ornamented tobacco pipe used by North American Indians on ceremonial occasions, especially in token of peace. But in late 2021 and early 2022, Wisconsins Republican-controlled Legislature passed legislation to prohibit educators from referencing a host of concepts, including critical race theory, multiculturalism, equity, and social justice. Democratic Gov. There is a publication called Square Time that dancers can subscribe to. Tracking spending in Kiels school board race is difficult. May 5, 2023. For questions regarding republishing rules please contact Andy Hall, executive director, atahall@wisconsinwatch.org, by Mario Koran / Wisconsin Watch, Wisconsin Watch July 16, 2022, This and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.. But after word spread in May that Harden would help lead this years farmers market, 66 residents implored city leaders to closely monitor Hardens leadership, citing his outward display of anti-LGTBQ speech, among other issues, according to a letter obtained by Wisconsin Watch. This is a trend among young people. Berg rejected the suggestion from critics not in the Appleton audience thatWILL and the families of the accused boys fanned the outrage that culminated in bomb threats by going public with their defense. School building staff should not report today. Deputies said South Lake High School in Groveland was evacuated just after 8 a.m. partners as a part of their emergency planning process and prior to an actual incident. Dr. Barrentine will be sending additional information shortly. This is Kiel against hate, Kim Konen said. Harden said detractors singled him out for his anti-left views and because of his effective communication, and he denies accusations of homophobia, telling Wisconsin Watch he simply raises issues worthy of debate. Numerous local residents have called Funkhouser a steady, singular voice of leadership throughout the crisis while Mayor Mike Steinhardt and other city officials remained silent. It was expedited in the sense that everybody wanted this to end.. A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police cruiser is parked at Kennedy Middle School in Charlotte, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022. Lianne Milton contributed photography for Wisconsin Watch. Please let us know if you have concerns, suggestions or questions. 6:00 PM Bilingual PAC . Funkhouser is catching his breath following the bomb scares. Those who spoke publicly risked stepping into a vicious vortex of Facebook brawls. Our team will spend today working with our local law enforcement and other appropriate agencies to further investigate this threat, and also ensure the safety of every one of our schools. Following the apprehension of a suspect in the series of bomb and active shooter threats that plagued southeast Ohio schools in the last week, schools are back in session today. This is a concern that should factor into evacuation considerations. Decisions and protocols on these issues should be determined by school officials and their public safety (police, fire, etc.) Several public buildings in Kiel, Wis., including City Hall, have been targets of multiple bomb threats. Cloquet High School, Middle School Evacuated After Bomb Threat Police in northern Minnesota responded Wednesday to a bomb threat at Cloquet High School. The threat was not written in English, Sproles said, and translated to: "One of your schools has a bomb inside. Our team has been working on this situation since early this morning. The standoff resulted in police killing the parent, who had a gun and seven bomb devices as a part of his siege. facebook.com/swingingSwallows. All students were reported safe and let out of school early. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Public safety officials typically mean a visual search, not a physical search involving moving around boxes or suspicious items. Our sessions accommodate new and veteran dancers, all of whom enjoy the physical and mental workout that comes with square dancing. Search this area. Good morning, Noblesville Schools families. Nonprofit, nonpartisan news about Wisconsin. SD132 in partnership with the Calumet Park Recreational Center and Workstudy Enterprises, Inc. provided ongoing activities that students experienced at the WSVN-TVSunbeam Television Corp Cold Cases Missing Persons Daily Archive. The Swallows dance most Thursday evenings, from 7:00 to about 9:30. At 6:54 a.m. today (Friday, April 14, 2023), the school corporation was notified of a bomb threat. Its to be unique, to be special, he said. (Lianne Milton for Wisconsin Watch). It could take time, but were not stopping.. Instructional materials will be available on Canvas by 9 a.m. We invite you to explore the eLearning resources available on our website at www.leb.k12.in.us/elearning.The eLearning Help Desk will be available for technology support. Weve been dancing at Wesley United Church Fellowship Hall at 275 Pembroke Street East in Pembroke since the club was formed. Wisconsin Watch It is well built, solid and discreetly located. The nonprofit Wisconsin Watch (www.WisconsinWatch.org) collaborates with WPR, PBS Wisconsin, other news media and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Questions loom about how the outcome might affect future Wisconsin school investigations and about what Kiels saga indicates about the trajectory of Wisconsins democracy. All safety measures will be activated and an update will be sent later today. We keep a copy on the Info Table for dancers to look at. Members of Tri-County Citizens and other local conservatives fueled the outrage. These dance performances are done strictly on a volunteer basis. The public has yet to hear the transgender students side of the story, and federal privacy laws shield those details. In April 2012, the University of Pittsburgh experienced a series of bomb threats that resulted in school officials choosing to repeatedly evacuate the school and heighten security measures. One pro-censorship speaker conceded that the books were not pornography, but said the library should shield young kids from them. But as the school board election approached, challengers began accusing the library of providing pornography to children. Bodden, who did not respond to requests for comment, wrote that his priorities include banning the (New York Times) 1619 project, Critical Race Theory and any equity-based curriculum for our schools., If we see large-scale involvement of political parties in elections at this level, you are going to run out so many good candidates, said Johannes. Matt Mencarini contributed reporting. SES Families: Early this morning, we were notified by the Shelby County Sheriff's Department of a bomb threat their office received targeting several Indiana schools. But you can publish it with pre-sold ads. There is ample parking in the rear of the Church. The Memorial Day parade? Using the Facebook group he started, now branded Common Sense Kiel, Harden has excoriated the school district for falling test scores, warned of Marxist indoctrination of students and pushed back the use of self-selected pronouns, which he said creates more gender confusion. At Christmas and the end of the dance year we have a pot-luck dinner prior to dancing. Residents long saw Kiel, Wis. as a place where families stroll along river banks after grabbing a bite at Dairy Queen. The fact that people associate questioning narratives with hate and bigotry is asinine to me, he said. Example video title will go here for this video. As a result of the incident, Atlantic Boulevard was closed from Riverside Drive to Ramblewood Drive, and authorities are requesting that anyone traveling to the area does so in the eastbound direction from Atlantic Boulevard. But the Wisconsin Republicans are tightening their focus on local politics. Switchboard: (305) 751-6692 This is ridiculous.. Tony Evers vetoed the bill. People are really amped up, an officer said while confirming the reporters identification. They never helped him, Rabidoux said. (Lianne Milton for Wisconsin Watch). Noblesville, Center Grove, Lebanon and Noblesville were among the school districts that canceled in-person classes Friday, April 14. CORAL SPRINGS, FLA. (WSVN) - A lockdown at Ramblewood Middle School has been lifted after police investigated a bomb threat that was made to the All Speedway Schools will be closed today, Friday, April 14, 2023, due to a bomb threat. I apologize for the short notice, and appreciate your understanding as we continue to work hard to keep our schools, staff, and children safe.