Dundee-Crown High School in Carpentersville locked down after 'swatting' call
CARPENTERSVILLE, Ill. (CBS) -- A fake 911 call about a shooting on Wednesday led to a lockdown at Dundee-Crown High School in northwest suburban Carpentersville.
Students from the school left classes, and were then sent home.
As CBS 2's Tara Molina reported, police and village administrators said they were working to find out who made the false threat Wednesday morning. The investigation continued hours later.
Dundee-Crown High School, at 1500 Kings Rd. in Carpentersville, was placed on lockdown just after 9 a.m. Wednesday after a threat was called in claiming shots were fired, according to Carpentersville Village Manager John P. O'Sullivan.
O'Sullivan said more than seven local public safety agencies rushed to the school in response - methodically clearing every room – before determining there was no shooting, no weapon and no one injured.
Police gave the all-clear early this afternoon. The incident has been characterized as "swatting."
Chopper 2 captured video of students leaving school Wednesday morning and being released to parents. The parents were only allowed onto school property with IDs, according to the district.
School, Kane County, and Carpentersville village officials all said they are grateful no one was hurt. None of them were willing to go on camera.
But when Molina asked how often such things happened in Carpentersville, she was told no previous incident comes to mind.
Carpentersville police said they would release further information later Wednesday.
The Kane County State's Attorney's office said in a statement: "We are aware of the situation at Dundee-Crown High School. Until we are presented with an investigation to review for possible charges, there is nothing we can say other than we are grateful that everyone apparently is safe."
Community Unit School District 300, which is based in Algonquin and includes Dundee-Crown High School, issued this letter to families:
Dear District 300 Families,
I want to inform all families about an incident this morning at Dundee-Crown High School.
Dundee-Crown High School is believed to be the victim of a malicious act known as "swatting." As I understand that this term might be unfamiliar to some in our community, I'd like to take a moment to explain what swatting is.
According to Education Week, swatting is "a term that refers to filing a false report with the aim of stoking chaos and proving a large law enforcement response." These false reports often include threats of violence that require an immediate emergency response. Unfortunately, swatting has impacted many school districts in Illinois and nationwide. Swatting is illegal. It strains valuable law enforcement resources. It creates unnecessary panic within communities. And, it has significant consequences for the responsible parties.
In today's incident at Dundee-Crown, an individual placed a false call, making a serious threat against the school. As a result, law enforcement responded immediately and enacted their safety protocols. After a thorough investigation, it was determined that the threat was unsubstantiated, and our students and staff were never in danger.
District 300 takes these incidents seriously and is working closely with law enforcement to identify the responsible party.
While today's threat was a hoax, we understand and acknowledge the stress a situation can cause our families, students, staff, and community. Please know that our top priority is our students' and staff's safety and well-being. We take all reports of potential threats seriously and are making every effort to create an environment where students and staff feel safe.
We understand that events like this can be concerning for parents and guardians. If you have any questions or concerns about the incident, please use the Let's Talk communication tool located on the District 300 website.
I would also ask all parents to discuss the seriousness of swatting with your children.
We thank you for your understanding and support during this time. Safety is our number one priority, and we remain committed to maintaining a safe and secure learning environment for our students.
We have messaged directly to our D-CHS families about today's after school activities. For all other schools, we will continue to hold after school activities for those students who would still like to do so. We understand this is an individual decision for each family and student.
Sincerely,
Dr. Susan Harkin
Superintendent