East St. Louis Senior High School all-clear after bomb threat closed school Friday
After an early morning bomb threat that caused East St. Louis Senior High School to close Friday has been declared all-clear.
The high school will remain closed for the day.
Administrators received an email containing the threat prior to school’s start, at which point students and staff were rerouted to an alternative location at and the closure notification was sent out, said district spokesperson Sydney Stigge-Kaufman.
The district posted on social media that the school was closed “out of an abundance of caution.” At approximately 10:15 a.m., after eight law enforcement agencies investigated, the campus was declared “all-clear,” a later social media post read.
Stigge-Kaufman said the threat was isolated to the high school. Other schools in District 189 remained in session Friday.
“We made the decision that we needed to cancel school for East St. Louis High School today to ensure there’s a thorough and complete investigation conducted (on the) campus,” Stigge-Kaufman said.
Stigge-Kaufman cannot disclose if the threat was made by a member of the school community.
As of 9:30 a.m., all students who were rerouted have returned home. The high school will resume class on Monday, Stigge-Kaufman said.
East St. Louis Police said it could not provide details while the threat remains under investigation.
The district later provided a statement that stresses the importance of notifying law enforcement of threats immediately instead of circulating them on social media. It reads:
“We join with law enforcement in emphasizing that threats against schools are taken seriously and carry severe legal consequences.
We urge students, families, and community members to immediately report any threats seen on social media directly to law enforcement rather than resharing them. Prompt reporting allows authorities to respond swiftly and effectively, ensuring the safety of our schools and community.”
This story was originally published February 21, 2025 at 10:21 AM.