Lawmakers back tougher penalties for school threats

SPRINGFIELD - Tougher penalties for making threats against students and schools were overwhelmingly approved Friday in two proposals by the Illinois House.

Telephoning a threat to a school building or any person at a school becomes a felony, punishable by one to three years in prison, while students who post threats on the Internet could be suspended or expelled for up to two years.

State Rep. Dennis Reboletti said his proposal increasing the punishment for telephone threats stemmed from an incident at his child's school in Elmhurst. On Feb. 10, four days before the anniversary of the shootings at Northern Illinois University, someone telephoned a "nondescript threat of violence" to Emerson School. Students were evacuated for more than two hours while Elmhurst police searched the building, Reboletti said. He said a similar call was made the same day to a school in Bensenville.

"You can see the amount of chaos that could happen, the potential for injury or harm, and I thought the penalties were outmoded," said Reboletti, an Elmhurst Republican. Existing law says telephone threats are only a misdemeanor. The increased penalty was approved 107-0.

Reboletti said police told him their investigation into the telephone threats continues. Another plan still pending in the House would require those caught making threats to reimburse schools and police for the cost of searches and investigations.

In separate action, the House approved letting school districts suspend or expel students who post threats against other students or school employees on the Internet.

"The schools are responding to that already, but there was some question of whether or not they could do it. Putting this in place now basically says 'yes,' you can go ahead and suspend or take disciplinary steps, if a threat like this happens on the outside," said state Rep. Darlene Senger, a Naperville Republican. That plan was approved 102-1, with three members voting present.

The proposals must still be approved by the state Senate and Gov. Pat Quinn to become law.