KENOSHA — A national award that was supposed to honor Kenosha’s Roosevelt Elementary School for its response to a school shooting threat is now being pulled.

“It’s unfortunate I think. They probably still deserve that award for the way they reacted at this point,” 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 speak with him, he ran from 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 formed after the 2022 Uvalde school shooting, several students and parents raised the alarm before the attempted breach.

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

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

Following the threat, a parent called TMJ4 to say reports of the suspect were 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, displaying what appeared to be a gun and a map of a Kenosha middle school. He claims the Kenosha Police Department and school district were both alerted.

“If the students and parents were calling, they definitely should have looked into it,” said Delisha Alexander, a KUSD parent of five.

The foundation said it is asking the district to review the school’s incident reporting policies as a result. The group’s national director released this statement:

In response, the Kenosha Unified School District expressed its disappointment with the decision to revoke the award.

A district spokesman said the district is “saddened to learn it is being terminated due to inaccurate information” and that the staff’s actions were “heroic and deserving of recognition.”

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

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

“They should still get the award for the way they reacted at the moment,” Egan said.

The $5000 grant would have gone to the school to support the school’s ongoing enhanced prevention and safety measures.

See the school district’s full statement below:

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