‘Non-credible threat’ made against Sycamore High School Wednesday, no lockdown needed, says superintendent

SYCAMORE - A social media threat of “generalized violence” toward Sycamore High School students and staff was deemed non-credible by district officials and Sycamore police early Wednesday morning, said Sycamore Superintendent Steve Wilder.

Wilder said the district did not initiate any lockdown at the high school, since the threat was determined to be unsubstantiated before school began Wednesday.

“We heard about it very early in the morning and worked with Sycamore [police] to investigate it,” Wilder said. “We were able to identify it as non-credible before the school day started.”

District officials were made aware of the social media threat, which “contained a generalized threat of violence toward Sycamore High School students and staff,” around 6:30 a.m., Wilder said, at which point police were notified as part of the school’s protocols related to such threats.

The superintendent also sent a letter to district families regarding the incident Wednesday morning.

Sycamore police and school officials continue to investigate, Wilder said, to “understand the nature of the [social media] post.

“Thanks to our caring and responsible Sycamore students, we are able to act quickly and investigate threats due to the information they bring to us,” Wilder said in the email sent to District 427 families Wednesday.  “We would like to take this opportunity to reinforce to our students and families that if they see something unusual, they should say something. Students should report any unusual behavior, indicators, or events to a trusted adult, a school administrator.”

The Sycamore Homecoming parade is set to begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday, though Wilder said Wednesday’s social media incident does not appear connected in any way.

This is a developing story which could be updated as more information becomes available.