East St. Louis Senior High School was placed on lockdown early Wednesday morning due to a social media threat. The East St. Louis School District 189, along with local police, quickly acted to ensure the safety of students and staff, according to a district statement.
The district has been put on high alert, taking measures to absolutely maintain campus security and reassuring that, as the situation unfolded, "all students are safe and classes are continuing," according to an official statement obtained by First Alert 4. In an effort to firmly manage the situation, the school has also requested that parents abstain from trying to pick up their children during the tense period of the lockdown.
The district is treating the threat very seriously, as emphasized by a spokesperson in multiple statements. They noted that while such threats are becoming more common in the region and nationwide, each one is taken with the utmost seriousness. "We appreciate the cooperation and patience of our students, staff, and parents during this time," the spokesperson said, according to FOX2now.
Despite the serious nature of the threats, the district's response shows the need to protect schools more carefully in today’s climate. "The safety and security of our school community remains our highest priority," the district stated, as reported by BND.com.
