Neuqua Valley High School evacuated after threat; classes resume Wednesday

Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville was evacuated Tuesday due to a potential bomb threat, but a search of the campus turned up no explosives or weapons, authorities said.

Naperville Deputy Police Chief Jason Arres said another law enforcement agency made his department aware of an online bomb threat against the school.

"We thought enough of this to work with the school," Arres said.

Neuqua Valley officials decided to follow protocol and dismiss students through a "controlled, coordinated evacuation" at noon. Similar to the dismissal at the end of a regular school day, students who typically ride buses were being picked up by early buses, and students who get a ride home were connecting with their parents.

All extracurricular activities also were canceled.

By 1 p.m., the evacuation was nearly done, and police began searching the high school. Shortly after 3 p.m., police said searches of both the main Neuqua building and the Kathryn J. Birkett Freshman Center found no weapons or explosives.

Police dogs from five other agencies - Naperville's department doesn't have a bomb-sniffing dog - assisted in the search.

"This is our most important group of people to keep safe, our students," Arres said earlier Tuesday. "We're going to be very methodical to make sure our schools are safe at the end of this."

Police are in the initial stages of investigating who is responsible for the threat, Arres said.

In a follow-up phone call sent to Neuqua parents Tuesday afternoon, Principal Bob McBride said classes will resume Wednesday.

"Both campuses were thoroughly searched, including by canine units directed by the police, and no weapons or explosive devices were found," McBride said in the message. "We expect school to open smoothly tomorrow and operate as normal. As an additional precaution, police officers will be present at school."

Indian Prairie Unit District 204 spokeswoman Janet Buglio did not respond to questions about the threat but referred to an earlier statement posted on Neuqua's website.

"The police have informed us of a potential threat against our school and we have decided to evacuate the school while they investigate the situation. Please know that all of our students and staff are safe," the school's message read. "As a precaution, we will be dismissing school at noon today to allow the police to thoroughly search our school."

Anyone with information about the threat is asked to call (630) 420-6666 and ask for the Naperville police investigations division.