Niles North Evacuated Due To Bomb Threat

SKOKIE, IL — Niles North High School was evacuated Wednesday due to an bomb threat called into the Skokie Police Department. Around 3 p.m., District 219 officials had issued a hold in place order for the school, police said. Within a few minutes, an evacuation was announced.

Parents and guardians of Niles North students were told to report to Niles West High School, 5701 Oakton Street, to pick up children. All after-school activities at Niles North were cancelled, the district said. Parents were asked to stay patient, as the school will be crowded with many extra students.

"Based on the information at hand, and the nature of the threat, we made the decision to evacuate Niles North," Superintendent Steven Isoye said in a letter to parents. "Please understand we cannot divulge full details in the interest of community safety and the ongoing police investigation."

No injuries were reported and evacuation was nearly complete shortly after 3:30 p.m. Students were released from Niles West about 40-45 minutes later than usual, police said.

“Our priority is to make sure that everyone is out of any potential harm at North,” said Niles North Principal James Edwards.

“We understand that this situation will cause great anxiety for families,” Edwards said. “Please know that our first priority is to keep your children and staff safe. "

The bomb squad from the Cook County Sheriff's police was called in to assist with the investigation.

"After we evacuated the building, the Skokie Police Department and Cook County Police conducted a thorough sweep of the school," Edwards said.

According to the district, Niles North's Black Student Union held an all school assembly in the main gym Wednesday to celebrate Black History Month prior to the evacuation.

UPDATE: District 219 Superintendent Steven Isoye and Niles North Principal James Edwards sent letters to the school community about the evacuation:

Dear Niles Township High School District 219 Families and Staff,

Today our community is stressed. Everyone is already saddened and concerned about student safety because of the horrific school shootings in Florida, and then today our community was shaken by a bomb threat that resulted in the evacuation of Niles North High School. Fortunately, tonight our students and staff members are safe and sound.

This afternoon, there was a bomb threat called into the Skokie Police Department against Niles North. The police worked in close cooperation with our school administration to investigate the call. Based on the information at hand, and the nature of the threat, we made the decision to evacuate Niles North. We deployed all our buses and transported the students to Niles West. We commend our faculty, staff, administrators, students, security staff, bus drivers, maintenance crew members and parents for their cooperation in evacuating the school calmly, quickly and safely.

In preparation for the arrival of the Niles North students, the staff at Niles West worked swiftly to secure an area to receive and support them. This required the Niles West campus to delay the release of their students as buses were streaming in and Niles North students were being safely directed to their location. We appreciate the patience and understanding of everyone at Niles West, who supported our Niles North students so graciously.

Please know how important it is to me and to our district that we communicate with you in the most timely and candid manner possible. As you can imagine, while we were in the midst of making important decisions about how to respond to today’s incident, the situation was very dynamic, and our top priority was to determine the best course of action. Please understand we cannot divulge full details in the interest of community safety and the ongoing police investigation. We have heard concerns about the timeliness of our communications to families. Our district reviews and updates our emergency plan protocols frequently, and we will review today’s events, along with feedback we have received, to refine our processes behind the scenes, and how we inform you. Our school principals will continue to provide important safety and security updates via their email messages to families.

Today is a testament to the strength of our students, staff, and community. Even with a friendly rivalry across the way, Niles North and Niles West, working together, showed us the meaning of community.

We look forward to seeing everyone back tomorrow as school will be in session and we will resume all regular activities.

Sincerely,

Dr. Steven Isoye
Superintendent

Dear Niles North School Community,

I want to extend my gratitude to all students, staff, and parents for your response to our actions in response to a bomb threat against Niles North today. Today’s events truly displayed how a community can come together in a time of crisis, thanks to the fast response and exceptional cooperation on the part of our students, teachers, support staff, counselors, security staff, bus drivers, local law enforcement officers, and all the other people who came together to get us through this incident. A special word of thanks to all our colleagues at Niles West, who assisted us in our time of need. That being said, we understand that today’s events caused a major disruption and created anxiety among school stakeholders.

After we evacuated the building, the Skokie Police Department and Cook County Police conducted a thorough sweep of the school. The inspection found nothing that compromised school safety. As a result, tomorrow we will resume classes and after-school activities as normal, with extra police presence in the building as a precaution. In addition, our Student Services representatives will be available to meet with students who are feeling anxiety as a result of the incident.

As you know, these are very turbulent times for all school districts. The Skokie Police Department is thoroughly investigating these external threats. We will pursue all recourse available against the offender to the fullest extent possible. Please understand the safety and security of our students and staff is our number one priority. We take these threats seriously and will continue to reassure students, staff, and parents through our actions that Niles North is a safe place to learn and work.

Thank you for your continued support of our students.

Mr. Edwards