Two higher education institutions in Springfield, Ohio, have been forced to make changes to their schedules following threats surrounding unverified claims that Haitian immigrants were stealing and eating pets.
Wittenberg University and Clark State College became the latest institutions to receive threats. Wittenberg then opted to make classes on Monday virtual. Clark State said students will learn remotely through Friday.
The threats are the latest string of incidents to rock the city located between Columbus and Dayton.
Also on Monday, the Springfield News-Sun reported that Simon Kenton and Kenwood Elementary Schools were evacuated due to a threat. Students were being reunited with parents, the outlet posted.
Two of the city's top hospitals, Mercy Health and Kettering Health, were placed on lockdown due to threats on Saturday.
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Multiple schools were impacted by bomb threats on Friday. Perrin Woods and Snowhill Elementary students were evacuated and sent home. Classes were also canceled for the day at Roosevelt Middle School.
Last Thursday, officials closed City Hall after a threat was emailed to city officials and media outlets.
"We recognize that the past few days have been particularly challenging for everyone in our community," Springfield Police said. "Please know that we remain fully committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of each and every person. We take any and all threats to our community’s safety very seriously and continue to work diligently to address them."
The city also announced on Monday that its upcoming CultureFest scheduled for Sept. 27-28 has been canceled.
The city was placed into the spotlight last week after former President Donald Trump brought up unverified claims during the presidential debate.
"A lot of towns don't want to talk about it because they're so embarrassed by it. In Springfield, they're eating the dogs. The people that came in, they're eating the cats," Trump said during the "ABC News Presidential Debate." "They're eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what's happening in our country, and it's a shame."
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Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who backs Trump's campaign, refuted Trump's claims in an interview with ABC News' "This Week."
"I think it's unfortunate that this came up," DeWine said. "Let me tell you what we do know though. What we know is that the Haitians who are in Springfield are legal. They came to Springfield to work. Ohio is on the move and Springfield has really made a great resurgence with a lot of companies coming in. These Haitians came in to work for these companies. What the companies tell us is that they are very good workers. They're very happy to have them there. And frankly, that's helped the economy now."
