WINOOSKI, VT — The Winooski School District took its website offline and redirected phone lines Monday after receiving what Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria described as a surge of racist and threatening messages, according to reporting from VTDigger. The district recently raised a Somali flag for one week in support of its Somali community, which represents roughly 9% of its student population.
Chavarria told the outlet the messages appeared to be part of a coordinated effort following posts by several high-profile right-wing social media accounts that shared video of the ceremony alongside district contact information. Vermont State Police confirmed to VTDigger that more than 200 messages had been forwarded to investigators, adding that while the volume was unusual, none reviewed so far appeared to constitute a credible threat.
The district said the online video circulating only showed the Somali flag, leading some viewers to falsely believe it replaced the U.S. flag. School leaders clarified Monday that the U.S. flag remains in its highest proper position and that the Somali flag is displayed on a separate pole for a limited time.
According to the report, some callers used racial slurs or threatened district staff. Chavarria said the tone reflected the fallout from President Donald Trump’s recent remarks about Somali Americans and suggested national rhetoric may have contributed to the targeted harassment.
District officials increased police presence on campus and prepared further precautions. The website outage was attributed to what administrators described as illegitimate traffic directed at district services.
SOURCES
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