Southwest Illinois schools on alert Friday after threats of violence on social media
Highland schools will have increased security in response to potential threats Friday.
Superintendent Mike Sutton sent an alert to families Thursday morning regarding an online threat against all schools. He said the Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center found a threat circulating on the social medium TikTok for “school shootings and bomb threats for every school in the USA even elementary,” on Friday, Dec. 17.
Sutton said the threat has been circulating through school districts in several states, but at the moment, there is no specific information targeting any Illinois schools. While some school districts have opted to cancel school Friday just to be safe, Highland schools will be open, Sutton said.
Belleville Township High School District 201 Superintendent Brian Mentzer also alerted parents of the non-specific threat, telling them in a group email “I am writing to inform you and not to alarm you.”
“Please know that, in conjunction with local law enforcement, we will continue to monitor social media and make sure our campus security and campus patrol are vigilant,” Mentzer wrote. “There are no indications of known threats within our schools or our community at this time. We are sharing this notice out of an abundance of caution and as a precautionary measure.”
Students in Mascoutah District 19 were instructed to bring only their Chromebooks to school and not backpacks on Friday. An email assured parents that “law enforcement and school officials will be vigilant.”
Sutton did make a reference to posts from students within the district, but said the Highland Police Department has investigated and determined that “there is not a direct threat to any of our schools at this time.”
Highland Police Chief Carole Presson confirmed the posts made by Highland students were only repeating they’d heard about the threat, and no direct threats had been made to any Highland schools.
Even though these kinds of national threats are not necessarily credible, Presson said, precautions will be taken while advising people not to panic.
“We will have at least one officer at every school, just to make sure everyone is okay,” she said.
Families and residents are asked to report suspicious incidents to local law enforcement ant the STIC at stic@illinois.gov or 877-455-7842. Concerning behaviors or online posts should be reported.
“Thank you for your patience and assistance in keeping our students and staff safe as we enter the holiday season,” Sutton wrote.
Presson has also asked people refrain from forwarding, re-posting or sharing the threats, as it can lead to “unwarranted panic.”
STIC is a branch of the Illinois State Police, established in 2003 after the Sept. 11 attacks. It provides a one-stop resource for law enforcement and emergency responders to consolidate information from various databases, agencies and resources.
On Wednesday, the largest union in the state, the Illinois Education Association, urged schools to immediately create threat assessment teams and procedures.
In 2019, the Illinois legislature passed the School Threat Assessment Bill, which requires Illinois schools to develop a threat assessment team that makes crisis response plans and safety drill programs, including for “targeted school violence.”
The Illinois Education Association also announced new legislation intended to increase enforcement of the 2019 law by requiring schools to report on their plans annually.
A spokesperson for the Illinois Education Association was not immediately available Thursday evening.
This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 1:31 PM.