Kenosha parents react, national award canceled after school shooting threat

KENOSHA – A national award intended to honor Roosevelt Elementary School in Kenosha for its response to a school shooting threat is now being rescinded.

“It’s a shame, I think. They probably still deserve that award because of the way they responded in that 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 talk to 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 founded after the 2022 Uvalde school shooting, several students and parents had raised the alarm before the attempted burglary.

The organization, which had planned to honor Roosevelt Elementary with the “Nonviolent School Alliance Award,” said it has since revoked the recognition due to concerns that the district did not take earlier warnings seriously.

In a statement issued Saturday, the foundation said it was withdrawing the award and $5,000 grant after learning of “more than half a dozen previous reports made prior to the incident this week, from students and parents about the threatening statements and behavior of the individual.”

After the threat, a parent called TMJ4 to say reports about the suspect had been made 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, containing what appeared to be a gun and a map to a Kenosha high school. He claims Kenosha police and the school district were both alerted.

“If students and parents called, they definitely should have looked into it,” said Delisha Alexander, a parent of five children in KUSD.

The foundation said it is calling on the district to revise the school’s incident reporting policy as a result. The group’s national director released this statement:

“While our foundation continues to honor the efforts of school staff this week to prevent this student from entering campus, we are concerned that the school was previously aware of the potential danger this individual posed and failed to take it seriously and report concerns with appropriate follow-up action. That said, we cannot in good conscience move forward with presenting this recognition at this time until answers are provided and students are given better protection in advance against potential incidents like this week.

The One In Five Foundation for children

In response, the Kenosha Unified School District expressed disappointment in the decision to rescind the award.

A district spokesperson said the district is “saddened to know it is being rescinded due to inaccurate information” and that staff actions were “heroic and deserving of recognition.”

The district clarified that concerns had been raised about images of airsoft guns prior to the incident, but not about threats or violent behavior. A district spokesperson said the concerns have been thoroughly investigated.

While some parents said the canceled award raised concerns, they acknowledged the district’s quick response to the closure.

“They should still get the award for how they responded at that moment,” Egan said.

The $5,000 grant would have gone to the school to support increased ongoing school safety and prevention measures.

View the school district’s full statement below:

“The district was honored to be selected for this award and is saddened to know that the award is being rescinded due to incorrect information.

Prior to the incident, concerns were raised among staff regarding images of airsoft weapons, rather than threats or other relevant content, and these concerns were thoroughly investigated. If threats had been made, district staff would have immediately contacted law enforcement as part of our standard threat assessment process.

The staff at Roosevelt Elementary showed extraordinary courage on November 7, 2024, when they took action without hesitation to protect their students. Some immediately put themselves in harm’s way, while others worked quickly to maintain a sense of calm and normalcy when faced with danger. Their actions were heroic and deserve recognition.”

Kenosha United School District

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