Thread: Bomb and threatening note at the High School cause=rally?

It was like the end of the world around here yesterday. A cop spoke off the air with a local radio host and told her that in his opinion this was all bogus -someone did it to get the kids out of school for the rally. And guess what -it's excused...


Waukegan High sees low attendance Tuesday

May 2, 2007
BY NICHOLAS P. ALAJAKIS nalajakis@scn1.com
Waukegan High School had one of its lowest attendance turnouts in years on Tuesday, as an immigration rally and rumors of a bomb threat kept more than a thousand kids at home.

Only about 50 percent of the 3,000 students at the high school's Upper Grade Center on Brookside Avenue were in class Tuesday, said building Principal Edward Guerra.

Waukegan Police officers (left to right) Joshua Tran, Armando Alexander and Margie Debaufer patrol the area around Waukegan High School after a bomb scare early Tuesday morning. The school was evacuated before 7 a.m. The school was searched, nothing was found.
(Thomas Delany Jr./News-Sun)
PHOTO GALLERY

• Waukegan threat

The school's Ninth Grade Center did not see a large attendance drop.

The low turnout was not exactly a surprise, Guerra said. School officials sent messages to parents on Monday, asking them to please send their students to school, despite an immigration rally in Chicago, which was expected to draw a large amount of Hispanic attendees.

Then later in the day Monday, a threatening note was found scribbled on a bathroom stall at the school. The note threatened an attack on the school Tuesday, which prompted another phone message to parents, again telling them that school would be in session as usual.

The school was searched and an "all clear" signal was given at about 7:10 a.m.

Guerra said many of the 1,500 students who did not show up Tuesday did so without calls from parents to the attendance office.

Because of the threat, and large police presence at the school early Tuesday morning, Guerra said the absences will be excused.

The students who were not in school did not cause any trouble, said Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Mark McCormick.

McCormick said his department did not receive any complaints of students causing trouble out of school. And truancy officers did not pick up any kids off the streets.

Guerra said Tuesday's attendance was by far the lowest of the year. A normal school day sees about 84 to 92 percent attendance. He did not know which event -- the rally or threat -- resulted in more students missing school.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Guerra said.

All students are expected to be in class today.

Yes!! This just came on our town board. Principal Guerra at the high school is very much a sympathizer. Looks like someone higher up says NO.

kellyann1293
Advanced Member



2143 Posts
Posted - 05/02/2007 : 06:46:03
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Hmmm... Dr. Mary Lamping, Chief Academic Officer for District 60, says she will be having a talk with Guerra about this; there are absolutely NO absences!!

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Edited by - kellyann1293 on 05/02/2007 06:48:24

http://www.waukegan.org/Forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7147