This story has been updated.
In a statement emailed to families of Hinsdale Central High School on Wednesday afternoon, Principal William Walsh said a student alerted school officials to “a potential threat that was written on a bathroom stall,” causing the campus to close for the remainder of the day. Walsh sent an update around 7 p.m., saying officials do not believe the threat was credible, but are still investigating the incident.
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According to Walsh, a student who was using a second-floor bathroom Wednesday morning discovered a threatening message written on a stall. After the student alerted administrators, they immediately contacted the school’s security team and local law enforcement to assess the potential threat and devise a plan for keeping students and staff safe.
“While we are all relieved that this threat does not appear to be credible, we have and will continue to take these situations seriously. This includes fully investigating them when they occur and holding those involved accountable. The actions of the individual or individuals who wrote this message were completely irresponsible, and caused our students, staff, and families unnecessary stress and worry,” Walsh said.
Walsh thanked the student who practiced the “see something, say something” approach.
While classes proceeded as scheduled, students were not permitted to leave or be picked up by a parent, guardian, or other prior to the end of the school day.
Based on the nature of the threat, school officials, with consultation from local law enforcement, decided the best course of action was to close the campus and limit student and staff movement throughout the building during class periods, Walsh said.
“We closed our campus to control access to the building and avoid bringing people to the school who might be involved in carrying out the threat or could become a victim themselves,” he added.
Walsh said the threat was atypical of incidents that have been carried out in other schools, and similar ones at Hinsdale High School District 86 were proven to be unfounded.
School resumed as usual on Thursday with an increased police presence around campus. Social workers are available for students or faculty who need to process the situation, Walsh said.
School officials could not comment on the situation beyond what was shared in Walsh’s email, but did say, “at no point was the building on lockdown.”