KIEL, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Kiel Middle School received bomb threats back-to-back days this week.
This comes after the story of the school district filing a Title IX complaint against three students, accusing them of sexual harassment, went viral.
The district says the threats are related to the investigation into the students for not addressing another with the preferred pronoun.
Fox 11 first spoke to Rosemary Rabidoux nearly two weeks ago about her son Braden and the two other students being investigated.
The story immediately gained national attention.
“Just telling my story; telling Braden’s story, and it has gone national,” Rabidoux said. “I have received support from most states and different countries, and a lot of prayers from people.”
But some of the attention, Rabidoux would soon discover, was unwanted.
That happened with the first bomb threat Kiel Middle School received Monday.
It referred to the ongoing Title IX investigation and complaints the students’ parents, along with the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, asked the district to drop.
“Our lawyers and us don’t support any type of violence, but I feel like if they would have just dropped it, this wouldn’t have gone this far,” said Rabidoux.
As of Wednesday morning, WILL says it still hadn’t received a response from the Kiel Area School District about ending its investigation into the students.
“We haven’t heard back yet from the district, in response to our letter, but we have been in contact with attorneys for the district, and we expect to hear back sometime this week, hopefully today,” associate counsel for WILL Cory Brewer said.
As a result of the first bomb threat, students and staff were evacuated, school was canceled district-wide and, at the advisement of the Kiel Police Department, the school board’s regular meeting, originally scheduled Monday, was postponed and made virtual Wednesday.
The very next day, Tuesday morning, police say yet another bomb threat came and was sent over email.
Classes would be called off again Tuesday and Wednesday to allow staff to prepare for virtual learning, which will begin on Thursday and continue on Friday.
Rabidoux says this entire ordeal, and now these bomb threats, have really taken a toll on her son Braden, as well.
“Ultimately, the whole thing has him just depressed,” she said. “He is a genuinely a good kid, smart, kind boy, and I wanted to make sure the world knew that.”
She says the threats of violence aren’t helping.
“They’re making it worse, and they’re terrifying this community that’s already in turmoil, because of this situation,” said Rabidoux.
Police searched the building and did not find any explosives.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice has been called in to help investigate the source of the threats.
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