Elwood School Received Threat Over Weekend

Elwood School received a threat from a student over the weekend on the Internet, according to an email and phone message from Elwood School Principal Tom McLaughlin to parents.

McLaughlin said that no evidence was found of an immediate threat to a specific student or staff member and that Elwood administrators have been in contact with parents, the Elwood district attorney, the board of education president and the Elwood Police Department.

Sign up for the Patch newsletter and never miss a moment

“I want everyone to understand that student and staff safety are always our number one concern here at Elwood School,” McLaughlin said in the email. “Junior High students were talked to today by our administrative team reiterating the importance of safety and that they need to inform us if they ever feel threatened in any aspect of their daily lives.”

According to sources, the threat included a picture of a gun and a hit list posted on Instagram. However, that information has not yet been confirmed by police or the school.

It is unknown why parents were not notified until Tuesday morning, despite the incident occurring over the weekend. According to the timestamp on the email, it was sent out at 10:21 a.m. Tuesday. It is unknown what time parents received the phone message informing them of the incident.

McLaughlin declined to comment when asked for more information. A phone message left with the Elwood Police Department was not immediately returned.