Possible safety threat forces closure of central Illinois high school

Classes were canceled at Cullom’s Tri-Point High School Wednesday after school officials learned of a potential threat to students and staff safety.

According to a letter from Superintendent Jay Bennett posted on the Tri-Point Community Unit School District 6J Facebook page shortly before 6 a.m., administrators and the school resource officer learned of a note containing a potentially threatening message Tuesday evening and spent the night trying to determine the credibility of the note.

“Although our initial investigation gives us confidence that there is no viable threat, due to the timing of the situation and out of an abundance of caution for our students and staff, we have made the decision that the high school will not be in session today, January 15th, to allow the investigation to progress,” the letter states. “As this situation is isolated at the high school, the junior high and lower elementary buildings will run as normal.”

Classes were held Wednesday at both Tri-Point Junior High/Elementary School in Piper City and Tri-Point Elementary School in Kempton.

The letter goes on to inform parents that officials will update them with further information when details become available.

Cullom is a town of about 500 people and 20 miles east of Pontiac in Livingston County.

Tri-Point High School, 100 E. Van Alstyne St., has a student population of 114 students.

Bennett was not available for comment Wednesday.

According to a Facebook post from Superintendent Jay Bennett, Tri-Point High School in Cullom was closed Wednesday after “a note containing a possible threatening message was brought to the attention of high school administration.”

This is the second time in the past 30 days that a Livingston County school district has had a potential threat to school safety.

On Dec. 19, Prairie Central Community Unit School District 8 responded to a rumor that a student was going to bring a weapon to school by closing the district’s six schools on Dec. 20, the last of day school before winter break.

Prairie Central Superintendent Paula Crane has since said that there was nothing to the threat, and that it appeared to have come from somewhere outside of the district.

Erich Murphy is a reporter for the Pontiac Daily Leader.

This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Central Illinois high school closes for a day after potential threat

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