Kenosha school threats; parents voice fear, frustration after recent events
Safety concerns after threats at Kenosha schools
Students were arrested after threats at two Kenosha middle schools, following recent gun-related incidents at Bradford High School that have left parents demanding stronger safety measures.
KENOSHA, Wis. - The Kenosha Police Department is investigating threats made this week at two middle schools in the Kenosha Unified School District, with students arrested in both cases.
What we know:
District officials said Lance and Bullen middle schools each received threats on Tuesday. Police said students were taken into custody in connection with both incidents.
The threats come after a string of gun-related incidents in Kenosha schools this month.
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Last Wednesday, officers arrested a 16-year-old accused of bringing a loaded gun to Bradford High School. The following day, a different teen was arrested for bringing ammunition to the school.
The week before that, a Bradford High School student was killed in a shooting near Library Park.
What they're saying:
Parents say the recent incidents have left them fearful.
"Sick to my stomach over the stress and anxiety and worries I have right now about my kids," said Michelle Sheely, a parent of students at Bradford High School and Bullen Middle School.
Sheely said she initially kept her Bradford student home following the recent threats.
In the Lance case, officers arrested an eighth-grade student on a referred charge of making terrorist threats. Now, Sheely is keeping both of her kids home.
"They’re both at home because now it involves Bullen Middle School. Which my youngest goes to," Sheely said. "You can’t ignore all these red flags. There have been too many instances in the past week and a half to two weeks in Kenosha."
Sheely has started a petition calling for the district to install metal detectors in schools. As of Wednesday, the petition had more than 360 signatures.
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"I cannot with a clear conscience send my kids into the school buildings right now without having that extra layer of protection that they need," Sheely said.
What's next:
Next week, the Kenosha Unified School Board is expected to vote on whether to implement a policy allowing the use of metal-detecting wands when conducting student searches.
Bradford High arrest; Kenosha school leaders weigh safety concerns
After a second arrest at Bradford High School in two days, the Kenosha Unified School District met Thursday, Feb. 12, as police found ammunition but no gun, and leaders weighed metal-detecting wands.
The Source: The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.