LEMONT – Administrators at Old Quarry Middle School said a student has taken responsibility for the bomb threat that caused the school to implement a soft lockdown on Monday, according to a letter the school sent to parents.
The student admitted to writing the threat in the girls' bathroom after the school conducted several parent and student interviews Monday, according to the letter.
A previous letter sent to parents said the school was able to determine a 45 minute period during which the threat was written because it had put in place staff bathroom checks and classroom signout procedures.
The most recent letter said the school will continue to use the bathroom security measures because they were the primary way Monday's threat was resolved.
This was the fourth bomb threat made at Old Quarry this school year, in addition to two made last year.
The letter said the student would be disciplined but did not say whether the student was connected to any of the previous bomb threats.
Concern among parents regarding the issue has grown in recent weeks.
After the Nov. 20 threat, parents started a petition on www.change.org, asking the district to take further action in catching those responsible and preventing threats in the future. The petition has 104 supporters as of Tuesday afternoon.
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Recent timeline of bomb threats
March 12: Old Quarry Middle School went on a soft lockdown because of a message written on a bathroom wall saying the school would be bombed the next day. An investigation of the school revealed no credible threats.
May 5: Parents were informed of a bomb threat written on the exterior of Oakwood School. Security was increased at the school for the next few days. An Old Quarry student later admitted to writing the message.
Sept. 24: Old Quarry was on a soft lockdown for 30 minutes after a student saw scratched out words that looked like "school bomb." School officials were unable to read the words but brought in investigators as a precautionary measure. Nothing out of the ordinary was found.
Oct. 1: Students and staff were evacuated from Old Quarry after a bomb threat was discovered on a bathroom wall. When no bomb devices were found, students returned to the school.
Nov. 20: Old Quarry went on soft lockdown after a bomb threat was found in the girls' bathroom. Lemont police were notified and nothing out of the ordinary was discovered.
Dec. 2: Another bomb threat found in the girls bathroom at Old Quarry resulted in a soft lockdown, which ended when school staff and police discovered nothing out of the ordinary. The school was able to determine the time period when the message was written. After interviews, a student admitted to the writing the message.