Chabot Elementary School in Oakland hosted a playdate on Saturday for children of color. The playdate was meant to build and promote positive relationships among the students.
But at about 7:30 Tuesday morning, the school's principal emailed Oakland police telling them of the threat. Oaklandside reported officers responded and children and school employees were taken to a field near the school until a bomb squad deemed the campus safe.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said Tuesday she was outraged by the threats. The mayor said she was in contact with Oakland Unified and the Oakland Police Department and was monitoring the situation closely. The FBI is involved in investigating the bomb threat, OPD said.
Following the playdate, some people took to social media to denounce the event, including one post with more than 17,000 "likes" that described the school as "racist against white people."
Oakland Unified School District superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell said in a statement released Tuesday that since the playdate, members of the school community have received emails and calls that are threatening and racist.
School district officials first learned of the threatening messages Monday at about noon. District officials got in touch with police, who began preparing an intelligence report.
More than half of the children at Chabot Elementary School identify as children of color. The playdate is "one of many examples of the important work we do for equity and inclusion across the District," Johnson-Trammell said.
