Middle School Student Admits to Writing Oakwood Bomb Threat

A middle school student has assumed responsibility for a bomb threat written outside Oakwood School on Sunday.

Officials in Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A said the student came forward Tuesday and admitted to writing a message in chalk that indicated Oakwood would be bombed May 7. The note was discovered Sunday afternoon by a police officer patrolling the area.

The threat prompted heightened security at both Oakwood and River Valley schools Monday and Tuesday, including a building sweep by Lemont police and the Cook County Sheriff's K-9 Unit. Authorities determined the threat was not credible, according to District 113A Superintendent Susan Birkenmaier.

The incident also incited fear and concern among District 113A parents, many of whom kept their children home from school after hearing the news. Attendance at Oakwood and River Valley was 20 percent lower than usual Monday, and 30-40 percent lower Tuesday, officials said.

Birkenmaier said in a press release that the student responsible for the threat will be punished. Students who damage school property and/or engage in threatening activities could face suspension or even expulsion, according to the District 113A handbook.

"Severe student disciplinary action will be pursued in light of the damage to property, extensive disruption to the delivery of education and the use of threats to public safety," Birkenmaier said.

School is expected to resume as normal Wednesday.

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