The head of the union representing Columbus police has demanded a meeting with city school district officials after a middle school secretary told two officers they couldn't enter a building to investigate a hoax bomb threat.
Video obtained from Columbus police through a public records request shows the tense exchange involving two Columbus Division of Police officers who responded to Ridgeview Middle School on March 17.
A secretary stopped them in the school office and told them to wait for security to let them into the building, and a disagreement ensued. Officers said they needed to come in immediately during an emergency such as a school shooting. The secretary and Principal Natalie James said they were only following district protocol.
The officers and the school administration accused each other of disrespect.
Concerns about ICE connected to district's policy
Columbus City Schools policy requires visitors to register at the front office and does not allow them to speak to students without the principal’s permission.
A January letterfrom Superintendent Angela Chapman told staff that uninvited government officials, including law enforcement, should not be allowed into buildings without a warrant or guidance from the district’s legal team.
The letter went out to district workers just days after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement,rescinded a policy directivethat prevented ICE agents from enforcing in "sensitive areas" like places of worship, schools and hospitals.
In the March 17 incident, school staff had called the police about the bomb threat.
What happened at Ridgeview Middle School?
“This is a game we’ve been playing for years that we no longer want to play with you,” one of the officers said in the body camera footage after a few minutes of arguing. “You should be welcoming us. You called us. If you don’t want me here, and if you want me to beg you to get through that door, don’t call me.”
In a statement, Columbus City Schools spokesman Mike De Fabbo said both Superintendent Dr. Angela Chapman and Columbus Police Department Chief Elaine Bryant had reviewed the footage and discussed the incident. The two “will join an upcoming meeting with their combined leadership teams to reinforce their commitments and expectations,” De Fabbo said.
De Fabbo didn’t say when the meeting would take place. District and police leadership have regular standing meetings to discuss school security, De Fabbo said. Columbus City Schools Employee Relations is reviewing the incident for the district, and the Department of the Inspector General is reviewing on Columbus police's behalf, he added.
De Fabbo didn't answer several questions from the Dispatch, including whether James followed district protocol, what those protocols are, or whether Columbus City Schools would be making any changes in response to the incident.
In an open letter to Chapman and Columbus Education Association President John Coneglio, Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge #9 President Brian Steel called James’ behavior “deeply concerning” and requested a meeting to discuss the incident and district protocols.
“I have always found school staff to be cooperative, respectful, and focused on student safety,” Steel said. “What I observed in this particular video was unprecedented and alarming.”
What body camera footage shows
The first officer who arrived called a member of school security, who said he could bring out the information on the student and the bomb threat so the officer didn’t have to enter the building.
The officer said he would come inside, and when a second officer arrived, the two went into the school office. The threat did not appear to be active as the student admitted it was not legitimate and he was detained elsewhere in the office by staff, although he didn’t appear in the footage.
The secretary stopped the two officers and said they would have to wait for the school’s head of security to arrive.
The officer argued that he and the other officer, a woman who didn't speak for most of the encounter, were on official police business and should be let in the building.
“We have authority over safety and security, do you understand that?” the officer said.
The secretary said she was only following the principal’s instructions and “not trying to be combative.” She reiterated that security would arrive soon.
“This is ridiculous,” the officer said. “So, if a teacher’s being beat up, I have to ask you to let me through the door?”
As the officers argued with the secretary, a man, apparently a member of the school security team, arrived in the office with a packet of paper. James also arrived. She told police she had been in a meeting and had come because she had heard noises coming from the office.
The officer reiterated his concern that police would need to be let into the building faster in a true emergency.
“What we’ve been told by the district is that the police can’t just go all over the building and do whatever you want to do,” James said in reply. “That has been established. If it was an active shooter, that’s something totally different.”
Officer says he felt 'disrespected' by school officials
The officers and James also discussed a previous, apparently unrelated situation in which James refused to tell one of the officers whether the school was disciplining a student. An officer said she had withheld information, while James said she followed district protocol.
James said she and staff had felt “disrespect” from the department, including the first officer to respond to the school. She also said she didn’t feel safe talking to the officers.
“I do not even feel comfortable speaking to you right now, to be honest, because I feel like you do not even have my safety in mind,” James said.
The male officer said she seemed biased against the police.
“For some reason, you do not like the policeandyou want to make things so difficult for us that we don’t even want to come to your school,” he said.
The argument ended with officers accepting the packet of information from security and leaving the building. They did not go beyond themainoffice. Thefullinteraction lasted about 15 minutes.
This story has been updated to add video of the incident.
Education Reporter Cole Behrens contributed to this report.
Public Safety and Breaking News Reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@dispatch.com.
