The students of Springfield, Ohio, are caught in a mess they had nothing to do with.
Schools had to shut down for multiple days after 33 separate bomb threats , and two universities moved classes online after threats of a shooting, one specifically targeting “members of the Haitian community,” after baseless accusations of immigrants eating people’s pets .
Experts worry not only about the students’ ability to focus and learn amid the threats but the long-term takeaways they may have after seeing how false political allegations can upend their community.
“Exposure to threats of violence or safety concerns, even indirectly through overhearing conversations between adults or news coverage, can detrimentally impact kids. In response, kids might display obvious signs of fear and anxiety, for example, by verbally expressing their worries and seeking reassurance, having trouble separating from caregivers, or not wanting to go back to school,” said Sabrina Liu, assistant professor and licensed clinical psychologist at California State University-San Marcos.