Updated: Prairie Grove schools closed Friday due to threat

Prairie Grove School District 46 canceled school Friday due to a threat against the building and everyone in it, the superintendent said Thursday.

The threat indicated a specific time and manner for an event on Friday, Superintendent John Bute said in a letter Thursday to parents. The district had not been able to determine the credibility level of this threat and so canceled school to be safe.

“The security and safety of students and staff remains one of our highest priorities,” Bute said.

In an update Friday morning, Bute said a comprehensive physical and visual search of the district’s buildings and buses was conducted. The search did not find anything that would pose a threat to students or staff, he said.

The Prairie Grove Police Department and the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department were notified immediately of the threat and investigation was ongoing, Bute said in the Thursday evening letter.

The police investigation was ongoing, Bute said Friday.

School events that were scheduled for Friday are on hold pending the investigation, Bute said. In the Friday update, he said a decision on the spring play scheduled for Friday and Saturday had not yet been made, but school will resume Monday.

The Prairie Grove Police Department referred all questions to the school district. When reached Friday, Bute referred the Northwest Herald to his Friday update.