Update: 9:10pm
The Iola-Scandinavia Police Department released a statement saying that a search was conducted at Iola-Scandinavia School, but nothing was found. According to the Police Department, the district had a scheduled day off on Friday prior to the threat. The investigation will continue, but at this time, the Police Department does not have a suspect.
At approximately 3:10 p.m. Thursday afternoon, at Iola-Scandinavia staff were made aware of a threat to the school that was written on a bathroom wall.
In conjunction with the Iola Police Department, school staff made the decision to close the school and cancel all after school activities until further notice, including the elementary school, and fitness and aquatic center.
The threat is being investigated by the Iola Police Department.
The new threat discovered Thursday comes after Portage County Sheriff’s Officials responded to a previous potential threat earlier this month on Jan. 4 that was determined non-credible by law enforcement.
The threat did, however, raise concerns from parents regarding student safety in the school district that resulted in the district releasing the following statement on Jan. 10:
““We are aware of concerns regarding the recent safety concern at the middle/high school. We apologize for not providing a broader statement from the start and we hope this message helps answer questions you may have.
“Last Wednesday evening, we were made aware of Snapchat messages shared. These messages have had some of our students, parents and staff feeling uneasy. This situation was immediately assessed by our administration as well as both local and county police in accordance with district safety protocols. Please be assured that safety is a priority in our district.
“It was determined by trained professionals, there was no credible threat to the students or staff based on conversations that took place on Wednesday evening. Chief Prahl was present on Thursday morning as a precaution; not because there was a credible threat.
“As mentioned previously, safety is a top priority in our district. The district has a safety committee which includes district personnel, local law enforcement, fire and EMS personnel and meets regularly to review and address safety issues and concerns to stay current on best practices and protocols. If you have questions or concerns for the safety committee, please contact Stacey Wester, elementary principal, who will relay the information at a safety committee meeting taking place next week.
“Due to HIPAA and other state and federal regulations in place to protect individuals’ rights, we are not able to discuss the details of this situation. We apologize for any frustration and concern this has caused and thank you for your patience. We also encourage you to contact school leaders with any questions or concerns you may have.”
No other information has been released at this time, but we will provide updates when they are made available.