WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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The detention of an African-American family and two children in Bloomington over the weekend is spawning debate over active shooter threats to schools, community policing, and race.
A Fairview Elementary School student and a Batchelor Middle School student posted threats against another Fairview student on Saturday, a day after a former high school student shot and killed 17 people in South Florida.
Bloomington Police were reportedly made aware of the threats on posted on Instagram, by a Fairview teacher. Officers responded by investigating at an East Side Bloomington residence, where they discovered the BB and Airsoft guns the students had used to threaten their classmate.
According to The Herald-Times, several adults and the two children were removed from the residence. Police reportedly detained three members of an African-American family, who allegedly refused to cooperate with officers. The two children who allegedly made the threats were also detained.
Monroe County Community School Corporation Spokesman Andrew Clampitt says schools take any threats against students, faculty or teachers seriously. Clampitt says MCCSC is holding two meetings to address community concerns over the potential for school shootings on March 5 and March 6, at Bloomington High School North and Bloomington High School South.
Clampitt says the meetings will address acts of violence as a whole and what parents, students, teachers and administrators’ options are going forward. As of this report, it’s unclear what, if any, disciplinary action will be taken by MCCSC or Fairview Elementary towards the two elementary school students.
The African-American family’s detention was raised by Black Lives Matter activists during last night’s City Council Town Hall, as another example of mistrust between Black communities and police departments. A Bloomington Police Department spokesman was unavailable for comment for this story by deadline.
