Algonquin police are investigating after a Jacobs High School student posted a video of her holding a gun, school officials said.
“What began as a mental health issue quickly escalated in rumors of threats being made via social media,” District 300 Superintendent Fred Heid said in an email to parents.
A Snapchat video was posted Tuesday evening which showed a student holding a handgun, Heid said.
“The video did not contain a threat nor was there a connection to Jacobs other than the student’s title page,” Heid added.
The Algonquin Police Department was notified and police officers met with the student and her parent. The gun used in the video was recovered.
Heid said that a former student emailed him early Wednesday morning about a social media post that alleged there was going to be a shooting at the school. Police were notified about this new threat and rumors began spreading on social media, Heid said.
A shelter-in-place lockdown was issued at Jacobs High School on Wednesday while police worked to investigate the shooting threat. The lockdown was lifted after first-period was over.
“As such, I wanted to assure parents, students, and staff that the rumors were unfounded and to outline the additional steps we were implementing at the school to help ensure that everyone felt safe,” Heid said.
An extra police presence was sent to the school Wednesday morning.
“While there was no threat made, we will always take a proactive approach when there is an allegation. Unfortunately, social media works much faster than we can at times and our ability to get out in front of these issues becomes difficult,” Heid said to parents.
A large number of students were not sent to school by their parents following the threats. All after school activities were cancelled by school officials.
Anyone with information about threats is asked to call the Algonquin Police Department at 847-658-4531.