Secure And Teach Lifted, No Active Threat At Wheaton North: Cops

WHEATON, IL — A secure and teach directive that was in effect at Wheaton North High School Wednesday afternoon was lifted after police determined a "suspicious item" was not a weapon. There was no active threat at the school as of 2:30 p.m., according to police.

In a statement to parents and families, Wheaton North Principal Dan Korntheuer wrote, "The students who were identified as being involved in this situation will be addressed in accordance with our student handbook, and may face criminal charges."

Korntheuer said students were being let out of classes "as quickly and safely as possible" after the secure and teach was lifted and dismissal was delayed. After school activities were set to continue as planned.

"I understand that the incident today may have caused heightened anxiety for our students and staff," Korntheuer said. "We will have members of our student services team available throughout the day today and tomorrow to support our students."

He added, "While we are relieved that we were able to act quickly to investigate this potential threat, we will continue to take these situations seriously. We want to remind our school community how important it is to always 'See Something, Say Something' whenever something doesn’t seem right or safe."

An update from the City of Wheaton read, "The safety of our community is the Wheaton Police Department’s top priority, and officers will respond whenever a potential threat is reported. Wheaton Police work in close partnership with Community Unit School District 200 staff and appreciate the cooperation of all Wheaton North students and staff as officers completed this investigation."