ECASD Board President responds to death threat

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - The President of the Eau Claire Area School District (ECASD) Board of Education speaks out after receiving a death threat Monday.

Tim Nordin got the email from an anonymous sender. It targeted him and his family.

“I cannot accept that this happens,” he said. “And while I am not going to be intimidated by this, and I am galvanized to keep working and doing everything I can for the students, families and community of Eau Claire, this can’t be a part of who we are.”

Nordin is talking about what showed up in his email inbox Monday:

“I am going to kill you and shoot up your next school board meeting for promoting the horrific, radical transgender agenda. It’s now time to declare war on you pedos. I am going to kill you and your entire family.”

“I would be lying if I didn’t say to my wife yesterday, ‘Is this something that is worth potentially endangering your life or the lives of our sons,’ and she was right with me saying, ‘It is always important to do what is right,’” Nordin said.

The threat comes as Nordin is running for reelection this spring.

Like many communities, Eau Claire’s school board agenda and its elections have become more contentious recently. While Nordin said he welcomes a lively debate on the issues, this is a step too far.

“This is making our community unsafe. While the police have been able to say that they believe that we are safe from this threat, until we know, in a given situation, that there will not be violence at a public meeting, all of us are less safe,” he said.

Nordin added as a public figure, he expects scrutiny and is prepared for people to take rhetoric too far. What really angers him is this threat went beyond him.

“The fact that they threatened the life of my wife and my two children is the part that really hits me in my heart and makes me furious,” he said.

Nordin said Eau Claire Police officers told him he’s currently not facing imminent danger.

Department officials said the incident is under investigation but that officers take all threats seriously.

In response to the death threat, ECASD Superintendent Mike Johnson released a statement Wednesday:

“The safety and security of our students, families, staff and community members is of utmost importance. We take all threats to our school community seriously and have safety protocols in place for our School Board meetings. We have occupancy limits in our Board Room and include an overflow room for attendees. Because of the specific threats directed to Dr. Nordin and his family on Monday, March 21, which also referenced that evening’s Board meeting, the Eau Claire Area School District worked with the Eau Claire Police Department to have three police officers present at that meeting as well.

We appreciate the importance of civil discourse, and we value hearing from our stakeholders in an appropriate, respectful and peaceful way. Hate speech, vulgarities and threats will not be tolerated against anyone in our school community and at our Board meetings.”

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