School officials say a student made a threat involving a weapon toward a middle school in Waukegan and a bullet was found on school grounds in unrelated incidents earlier this week.
Miguel Juarez Middle School Principal Nelson Campos said in a letter to parents that extra safety precautions have been put into place for the remainder of the school year following two incidents that occurred on Wednesday.
A student informed school officials Wednesday morning of an online video that purportedly showed a classmate with a weapon making threats related to Juarez Middle School.
Police were immediately contacted to investigate and the student in question was identified, Campos said.
It was determined that the weapon in the video was a toy and the threat was determined to not be credible.
After dismissal that same day, a staff member found a bullet on the school grounds.
Campos said this was a second, unrelated incident to the earlier threat.
Police were again notified and began an investigation.
“We are sharing this information in the spirit of transparency, and to dispel any rumors you may have heard about these incidents,” Campos said.
“We thank students for bringing this initial matter to our attention, and urge all students to immediately report any situations they may encounter at school, as well as away from school, which they consider to be suspicious, or unsafe,” he added.
The letter asked parents to assist the school by continuing to monitor their children’s online activity and social media presence.
Campos also said in the letter that any weapons, look-alike weapons and all other prohibited items are prohibited from school grounds, buses and bus stops.
Extra safety measures will be in place, including searches and potentially extra safety staff, until the last day of school this year, which is this coming Tuesday.
“We are working to ensure that these safety measures have a minimal impact on the learning environment. Thank you for your time, and please know that your child’s safety remains a top priority at Juarez,” Campos said.