DOJ: ‘Threat wave’ happening to schools in Wisconsin
WEST ALLIS, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Nathan Hale High School was the most recent school in our area to receive a threat that led to a police investigation.
On Wednesday, Sept. 18, officials were notified by the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District about a suspicious person, possibly possessing some type of explosive at the school.
"It is a scary situation," said Jade House, a student at Nathan Hale High School. “I feel drained. I just want to get through the day. It already takes so much energy just to come to school. Having to do all this extra stuff, things we could prevent, is a waste of time.”
The school was evacuated as police arrived. Authorities say the suspicious person was identified as a student, and subsequently taken into custody. It was determined the student did not possess any weapons or explosives.
In the last week, CBS 58 has reported more than one threat that led to further action at schools in the Milwaukee area.
Trish Kilpin is the executive director of the Office of School Safety with the Wisconsin Department of Justice. She says there has been a recent threat wave happening to schools in the state.
“There is a very significant uptick here in Wisconsin," Kilpin said, emphasizing that many of the most recent threats are coming from social media. “People are repeating, copying, and posting threats and it’s causing a lot of fear.”
Kaplin said 107 threats have been reported to them in the current threat wave that started this school year. At least 32 schools were part of those threats that were sent to the DOJ through Speak Up Speak Out Wisconsin, the state's online school threat reporting system.
Kaplin stressed that these kinds of threats are complicated. Though it's hard to understand what causes them, they consider many trends.
“After a school shooting, which we know there was just a school shooting in Georgia, we see an increase in threats," Kaplin said.
Kaplin said conversations with students are crucial to make sure these kinds of threats are not tolerated in schools. She urged people to continue to fill out the online form with the DOJ when threats are known.
“I’m deeply concerned about student safety, and I agree it seems like these events are happening more frequently in Wisconsin and around the country. It’s despicable to interrupt kids’ learning and threaten their wellbeing," State Superintended Dr. Jill Underly said in an emailed statement to CBS 58. "Our children and educators should always feel safe, especially whenever they are in a school building. Threats of any kind, that impact their sense of safety and belonging, should be taken seriously and dealt with appropriately."
Underly added that the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction will continue to engage with the DOJ’s Office of School Safety to identify ways we can help local school districts keep their kids safe.