South Elgin police and School District U46 officials said a Wednesday bomb threat to Kenyon Woods Middle School was not credible.
Police conducted a search of the school Thursday evening and found nothing, officials said in a news release. On Friday, a canine search was conducted with the same results.
“At this time, there does not seem to be any reason to believe there is any validity to the threat as police or school administration has not received any further threats,” the release said.
South Elgin Sgt. Mike Doty said the threat was found written on a bathroom wall. No arrests have been made, and police are still attempting to identify the person responsible, he said.
Parents were notified by Kenyon Woods of the situation Thursday evening, Doty said. Classes ran as normal Friday, he said.
John Heiderscheidt, U46’s director of safety and culture, said a second notification was sent out Friday, informing parents that canines swept the school hallways while school was in session that morning.
Doty said he recommends parents discuss safety issues such as bomb threats with their children. He also suggested that if anyone “sees something, say something” and to refrain from spreading information to anyone other than police or school staff.
Heiderscheidt said in instances like this, young students may not be thinking of the consequences of making such a statement, whether it be online or on a bathroom wall.
“It’s like shouting fire in a theater or bomb on an airplane,” he said. “You are going to get a lot of attention, but it’s against the law and against our (U46) code of conduct.”
South Elgin Police were assisted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Bloomingdale Police Department and the Kane County Sheriff’s Office.
