About a dozen Naperville schools have received non-credible shooting or bomb threats in the past 10 days, according to Naperville police Cmdr. Rick Krakow.
“These incidents appear to be part of a growing trend affecting multiple communities, not only across the Chicagoland area but nationwide,” Krakow said. “We have notified our federal partners at the FBI and are coordinating with them on these ongoing investigations.”
The most recent threat came around 7:38 p.m. on Thursday, when Naperville police received a phone call from an unknown number threatening violence at Naperville Central High School at 8:00 a.m. the following morning. The telecommunicator tried to gather more information from the caller but was met with hostility and resistance before hanging up, Krakow said.
Police immediately notified Naperville Central High School of the threat.
“Our top priority is the safety of our students and staff; therefore, out of an abundance of caution, we have transitioned to a 100% e-learning day for today, Friday, April 10,” said LeeAnn Betz, a spokesperson for District 203. Afterschool and evening activities scheduled for Friday, however, were set to continue.
Last week, 10 schools in Naperville received voicemails containing shooting threats and threats of explosives being placed at the schools. They included schools in District 203 as well as private schools in Naperville. Though all within Naperville city limits, three of the schools were in either DuPage County Sheriff or Lisle police jurisdiction.
Prior to that, Naperville North High School was placed on a soft lockdown due to a reported shooting threat.
“Each incident is concerning on several fronts,” Krakow said. “First, that someone would threaten anyone, let alone our school communities. Secondly, the amount of police resources that are used to respond to and investigate these threats is concerning. It takes away resources from others who may need our help.”
He also emphasized that such threats disrupt learning environments and “erode parents’, students’ and staff members’ confidence in their schools being safe environments.”
“The Naperville Police Department will not tolerate such threats and will not hesitate to seek felony charges against anyone found to be responsible for threatening our school communities,” he said.
cstein@chicagotribune.com
