PORTA Jr.-Sr. High was placed on a soft lock down this afternoon after a threat to a student was issued over social media.
The Menard County Sheriff’s Office reports that at approximately 1:15 sheriff’s deputies and PORTA Jr.-Sr. High School officials were notified of the threat being received by a student.
WICS Newschannel 20 reports that the threat was made to a specific student and claimed a person was to cause harm at the school around 1:30 p.m.
Menard County Sheriff’s Deputies, along with Petersburg Police Officers and officers from IDNR Conservation Police immediately responded to the school. A soft lockdown was enacted by school officials, while deputies and officers secured the building. Deputies and officers were unable to locate any threats at the school, therefore students were allowed to dismiss at the planned time of 2:00pm.
The incident remains under investigation by the Menard County Sheriff’s Office, as deputies are continuing to work to identify the originator of the message. If you have any information, you can contact the Menard County Sheriff’s Office at (217) 632-2273 or the Petersburg Police at (217) 632-2251.