Residents press city on school threats and youth gun violence; state safety director outlines driver-safety and outreach efforts

Several residents used the public-comment period to describe threats, bullying and suspected violent intentions involving students at Kenton Ridge High School and urged city and county leaders to intervene.

Dion Green said families reported a student had threatened gun violence at the school and that parents had received inadequate follow-up from the Northeastern school superintendent. "So we can't take any threat lightly," Green said, urging the commission to push for a response.

Retired deputy Moses Young described an incident he says occurred on January 11, 2024, when his daughter was threatened at Kenton Ridge. He told the commission the classroom teacher did not notify the school resource officer or principal at the time, and that the student who made the threat remained in class for the rest of the year. "They took and notified me at 06:30 that night via ParentSquare text message. Now I don't know how y'all feel about that, but for me that's inappropriate," Young said.

Several other speakers called for increased investment in youth programs and community supports; Taylor Bowser described mentoring and employment pathways he said could benefit young people at risk of violence and criminal behavior.

In response, Ohio’s safety director Andy Wilson addressed the commission and outlined state-level actions taken since the fall to address traffic safety and community outreach related to arrivals in the Haitian community. Wilson said the state deployed targeted patrols and data-driven enforcement that officials associate with a decline in crashes after the surge period; he reported 2,067 enforcement actions between Sept. 11 and March 10 and a reduction in monthly crash counts in some months compared with the fall peak.

Wilson also described driver-education interventions aimed at Haitian community members, including Haitian Creole curriculum, animated instructional videos, and 12 driving simulators placed in community locations such as churches, Clark State and Job and Family Services. He said the state had developed a short, anonymous community survey (with Wright State University assisting on analysis) to gather demographic, health and vocational information from Haitian residents and to guide service provision.

Commissioners and staff directed speakers to the appropriate education and law-enforcement authorities when jurisdictional limits applied. Commissioner Estrop noted that the city commission has no authority over district superintendents and suggested relying first on the school board and the sheriff’s office for matters involving school resource officers. Staff also said they would follow up with county partners when appropriate.

Why it matters: Residents described concrete allegations of threats and delayed reporting at a public school, raising concerns about student safety and school-district responsiveness. The state’s outreach and driver-education programs are intended to reduce traffic incidents and improve access to services for a specific community group, but residents pressed for more local coordination on bullying and violence prevention.

What’s next: Commissioners encouraged residents to pursue concerns with the Northeastern school board and the sheriff’s office and asked city staff to coordinate with county partners and school officials; the state said it would disseminate a community survey and continue driver-education and outreach work.