Columbia Heights Schools Closed Monday Following Credible Threat
Columbia Heights Public Schools were closed on Monday following a credible threat received by the district. The district communicated the closure on social media, instructing students and staff not to report to school.
The Columbia Heights Police Department later confirmed that a bomb threat had been emailed to multiple schools.
The police chief stated the threats were "racially and politically motivated."
Law enforcement, including departments from Columbia Heights, Minneapolis, and Metro Transit, along with the Columbia Heights Fire Department, conducted searches of the campuses. No suspicious items were located during these searches. Multiple agencies are currently investigating the source of these threats.
Classes to Resume Tuesday
Classes are scheduled to resume on Tuesday. The district serves approximately 3,400 students across five schools.
Context: Recent Immigration Enforcement Incidents
This incident occurred in the same district attended by 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, who was returned to Minnesota after apprehension by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers alongside his father.
The Department of Homeland Security, overseeing ICE, stated that immigration agents did not target or arrest a child. However, the district's superintendent previously reported that at least four students in the district had been taken by federal immigration enforcement officers, including a 17-year-old and a 10-year-old.