KENOSHA — A national award that was supposed to honor Roosevelt Elementary School in Kenosha for its response to a school shooting threat is now being pulled.
“It’s unfortunate I think. They probably still deserve that award for how they reacted in the moment,’ Kenosha Unified School District parent Aaron Egan said.
The award came after a 13-year-old attempted to enter Roosevelt Elementary School Thursday morning with what were later identified as airsoft guns.
When school staff tried to speak with him, he ran out of the building and into the surrounding neighborhood where he was later arrested by Kenosha Police.
According to the One in Five Foundation for Kids, a national nonprofit formed after the 2022 Uvalde school shooting, several students and parents had raised alarms before the attempted breach.
The organization, which had planned to honor Roosevelt Elementary with its “Nonviolent School Alliance Award," said it has since revoked the recognition due to concerns that the district didn’t take prior warnings seriously.
Watch: Parents react to cancellation of national award.
In a statement issued Saturday, the foundation said it was pulling the award and $5,000 grant after learning of “over half a dozen previous reports that were made previous to the incident this week, from students and parents about the individual's threatening statements and behavior.”
Following the threat, a parent called TMJ4 to say reports had been made about the suspect weeks ago.
This parent told TMJ4 that less than two months ago, his children received an ominous Snapchat message from the 13-year-old suspect, displaying what looked like a gun and a map of a Kenosha middle school. He claims the Kenosha Police Department and the school district were both alerted.
"If students and parents were calling, they definitely should’ve looked into it," Delisha Alexander, a parent of five children in KUSD, said.
The foundation said it is calling on the district to review the school's incident reporting policies as a result. The group’s national director released this statement:
"While our foundation continues to honor the efforts this week of school staff to prevent this student from entering campus, we are concerned that the school was aware previously of the potential danger this individual posed and failed to take it seriously and report concerns with appropriate followup. That noted, we cannot in good conscience at this point move forward in presenting this recognition, until answers are provided and students are ensured better protection in advance from potential incidents such as this week."
In response, the Kenosha Unified School District expressed disappointment over the decision to revoke the award.
A district spokesperson said the district is “saddened to know it is being revoked due to inaccurate information” and that the staff’s actions were “heroic and deserving of recognition”.
The district clarified that prior to the incident, concerns had been raised about images of airsoft guns, but not threats or violent behavior. A spokesperson for the district said concerns were thoroughly investigated.
While some parents said the canceled award raises concerns, they acknowledged the district’s quick response to the lockdown.
"They should still get the award for how they reacted in the moment," Egan said.
The $5000 grant would have gone to the school to support increased ongoing school safety and prevention measures.
See the school district’s full statement below:
"The district was honored to have been selected for this award and is saddened to know it is being revoked due to inaccurate information.
Prior to the incident, concerns were raised with staff regarding images of airsoft guns, not threats or other concerning content, and these concerns were thoroughly investigated. Had any threats been made, district staff would have immediately involved law enforcement as part of our standard threat assessment process.
The staff at Roosevelt Elementary demonstrated extraordinary bravery on Nov. 7, 2024, when they stepped up without hesitation to protect their students. Some placed themselves directly in harm’s way, while others worked swiftly to maintain a sense of calm and normalcy in the face of danger. Their actions were heroic and are deserving of recognition."
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