Bomb threat, suspicious substance investigated at Geneva school

St. Peter Catholic School in Geneva was on lockdown Monday morning, then evacuated Monday afternoon, after receiving a suspicious substance and a bomb threat.

Geneva police said Monday afternoon they do not know if the two incidents are related.

School officials called police at 9:56 a.m. to report a broken office window. Workers also told police an envelope had been found in the office. Police did not know what the substance was, so school, fire and police officials decided to lock down the school, 1891 Kaneville Road.

A hazardous materials team from the North Aurora Fire Protection District determined the substance was a nonthreatening household product, according to a prepared statement from the Geneva police. The school then resumed its normal schedule.

At 1:46 p.m., the school reported a bomb threat. An unknown person approached a student outside the school and told them the building was going to blow up if everyone did not evacuate, according to police.

Staff and students were evacuated to nearby Williamsburg Elementary School, and were dismissed at the end of the school day from that site.

Bomb-sniffing dogs from the Kane and Cook counties’ sheriff’s departments searched the school and St. Peter Catholic Church, but didn’t find anything suspicious, police said.