‘It’s tense;’ Residents speak out after continued threats in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD — Local schools are having to make changes after continued threats.

Dee Hart lives right across the street from Kenwood School.

Monday, she said was an unusually quiet morning — no hustle and bustle as the school day got started.

“It’s bare. You don’t hear buses, tires, or brakes squeaking. Nothing. You don’t hear the kids going back and forth,” Hart said.

Kenwood and Simon Kenton Elementary, both Springfield City Schools, sent kids home Monday after threats.

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Springfield police said they also swept two buildings outside the district Monday, Cliff Parks High School and Springfield Prep and Fitness Academy.

Clark State and Wittenberg University moved classes online at least for Monday following bomb threats.

“It’s stupid ‘cause we’re just college students trying to get our education and the problems with politics and all that stuff, that has nothing to do with us, at least right now while we’re in school,” Marcus Randolph, Wittenberg University sophomore said.

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As Randolph was speaking to News Center 7 he got an email from the university about another threat made involving the library.

“It’s just inconsiderate. At the end of the day, regardless of who you want here or what they’re doing, we got to stay together as a city. We can’t continue to let the bad stuff affect us so much,” he said.

As the state surges in resources to Springfield to help with safety and security, including daily bomb sweeps at city schools, people said they hope for calm in their city.

“It’s tense. It makes you want to just be prayerful more than you usually are. It makes you just want to hang in there because we’re better than this,” Hart said.

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