Glenwood High School goes to soft lockdown; Springfield police arrest 3 in separate threats

Glenwood High School went on soft lockdown Wednesday morning after a threat was made to the school via the Yik Yak messaging platform.

Meanwhile, Springfield police also arrested three juvenile students Tuesday and Wednesday after threats were made in separate incidents.

Betsy Schroeder, a spokeswoman for the Ball-Chatham School District, said the high school went on lockdown around 9:45 a.m. It was lifted around 11:30 a.m.

Chatham Police Chief Vernon Foli said a person of interest was identified at the high school and taken to police headquarters. The male juvenile, a Glenwood student, was arrested there, Foli said.

Schroeder said parents were informed about the lockdown situation.

Students, teachers and staff members could not leave their classrooms.

Schroeder said Chatham Police were assisting the district's security team and staff in conducting a thorough search of the facility. Illinois Secretary of State K9 units were also called in, Foli said.

No weapons or ammunition were found, Schroeder said.

See also: Superintendent Gill promises 'comprehensive proposal' on metal detectors to school board

"The likelihood (of a real threat) is a million to one, but we can't take that chance," said Superintendent Douglas Wood, reached Wednesday.

The school has about 1,400 students.

"The Ball-Chatham School District holds student and staff safety in its highest regard, and as such, will always enact its safety procedures with immediacy when circumstances warrant," a statement from the district read. "Any person or persons found responsible for making a threat toward students, staff or any of our facilities will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

On Monday, Springfield police responded to a bomb threat made at Sacred Heart-Griffin High School.

A message alluded to a bomb being on the SHG campus, a news release from SPD stated.

A 15-year-old male was located and arrested.

More: Hospital Sisters Health System to continue enforcing COVID-19 vaccine mandate for workers

Police were called to Springfield High School Tuesday afternoon to investigate a threat also made via Yik Yak.

That threat was reported via Illinois Safe 2 Help, a help line for students to share school safety issues.

A 15-year-old male was arrested in that case.

Yik Yak is a social media smartphone app that allows people to create and view discussion threads anonymously within a five-mile radius. The platform was relaunched earlier this year.

SPD announced earlier Tuesday that a 13-year-old male was arrested in connection with a threat made to Washington Middle School.

According to SPD Deputy Chief Joshua Stuenkel, a Washington student texted another student at the school stating that he had a rifle and was going to bring it to school. The messages further alluded to a possible shooting at the school.

There were also threats made against Grant Middle School over the weekend, according to a School District 186 spokeswoman.

Ward 10 Ald. Ralph Hanauer acknowledged the quick work of Springfield Police Department in making the arrests.

"I have to give our police department kudos because they got the kids who did it," Hanauer said during Tuesday's city council meeting. "To the kids, if you think you're anonymous, you're not anonymous to our police department."

District 186 officials, along with Springfield Police Department, Sangamon County State’s Attorney Dan Wright, Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell and representatives from Memorial Behavioral Health were holding a press conference Wednesday in part to address issues that are affecting students in wake of the recent violence.

The school district will hold a community virtual forum on trauma and school security on Dec. 15. The forum is being sponsored by NPR Illinois.

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Springfield police arrest three juveniles in separate threat incidents