Police Presence At Lockport Schools Involved Threatening Text Message

LOCKPORT, IL — Will County Sheriff’s deputies have determined that two Lockport schools were not the target of any credible threats after a middle school student received a threatening text message that was then posted to social media, police and school officials said on Thursday.

Parents of students at Oak Prairie Middle School and Ludwig Elementary School were notified of the investigation in an email on Wednesday afternoon from district administrators. The Will County Sheriff’s Department then issued a statement to local families via social media, but police officials did not specify the nature of the incident.

They did say, however, that at no time were the schools placed on lockdown.

On Thursday, District 92 Superintendent Tim Arnold informed parents that the investigation centered around a threatening text message that was sent to an Oak Prairie student. A screenshot of the text message ended up on social media, Arnold said, and involved a family situation that was taking place prior to the text message being sent.

Police had already been investigating the situation involving the family before images of the text message were shared on social media, Arnold told parents Thursday.

"Additional safety precautions were in place in District 92 schools (Wednesday), stopping short of locking down the schools," Arnold wrote on Thursday morning. "When the student received the text in the afternoon, we followed all law enforcement recommendations to ensure no one was entering school grounds that shouldn't be there.

"While we always maintain safety protocols for visitors to our schools and police are present in our schools on a regular basis, we will continue to be extra vigilant today and until law enforcement directs us to do otherwise."

Late Thursday afternoon, the Will County Sheriff's Department announced that after a thorough investigation, no credible threat was found at either of the the two schools. The increased police presence during student pick-up times on Wednesday was done out of an abundance of caution, police said in the social media post.

Police said that deputies would be conducting extra patrols in the areas of both schools, police said.

"We (Will Co. Sheriff's Dept.) continue to work closely with school administrators to resolve these incidents," law enforcement officials wrote to local parents.

District 92 officials have been cooperating with police during the investigation, police said.

"As a superintendent, I am very grateful for the highly capable and professional law enforcement officers we are fortunate to have through the Will County Sheriff's Department and Lockport Police Department," Arnold wrote in an email to parents on Thursday afternoon. "It can be frustrating at times to not be able to share all of the details during an ongoing investigation with all stakeholders, and I appreciate your trust in our determination to always provide a safe and secure learning environment."