Andrew High School was put on lockdown Wednesday morning after a kit that might be used to clean firearms was found in an school office, officials said.
Police responded to the Tinley Park school after the administration already had initiated the lockdown by 10:45 a.m., officials said. Police gave the all-clear by 11:30 a.m. and the soft lockdown was canceled by 12:30 p.m.
Police investigated and found the item to be safe, said Pat Carr, director of the Tinley Park Emergency Management Agency.
“As soon as police arrived, they deemed that it wasn’t a threat,” Carr said.
A school staff member reported the kit to the dean’s office, according to District 230 spokeswoman Carla Erdey.
The building was searched and no weapons or ammunition was found on school grounds, she said.
Officials do not believe the kit was brought to Andrew by a student, nor do they think it was bought with the intention of doing any harm, Erdey said.
A hard lockdown of the building was called out of caution while staff assessed the situation, she said.
Students and staff responded appropriately during the incident, Erdey said.
Nick Swedberg is a freelance reporter at the Daily Southtown.