KIEL (NBC 26) — While investigating a previous threat against the city of Kiel, police said they received a new email that references the Kiel school district's Title IX investigation and mentions New Holstein, a city about four miles northwest of Kiel.
The Kiel Area School District Board of Education announced Thursday evening that a Title IX investigation involving three middle school students had been closed. The sexual harassment investigation centered around three eighth-grade boys who allegedly used incorrect pronouns to refer to a student who uses they/them pronouns.
After news of the investigation received widespread attention, Kiel schools and community buildings received threats, including bomb threats against Kiel schools. Additionally, individual school staff also were threatened. A California man accused of threatening to kill a school district staff member was arrested earlier this week.
In response to a threat made June 1 against Kiel schools and other city buildings, police said authorities conducted precautionary searches Friday morning and found no items of concern.
While the searches were underway, police said they received another email that referenced the Title IX investigation. While police said no threat was made, the email listed government buildings, private businesses, and other infrastructure that included locations in New Holstein. New Holstein police and city officials were notified, and Kiel Police said search teams were sent to notify affected locations as a cautionary measure.
Kiel Police continue to work with state and federal authorities to investigate the source of the emails.
