A Highland Park elementary school was evacuated Thursday morning after an unfounded bomb threat.
Red Oak Elementary School was cleared by police by 10:15 a.m. and classes resumed by late morning, but questions are being raised about whether the threat was tied to a social media post targeting the school.
On Friday, an X account that caters to a far-right and anti-LGBTQ+ audience posted a picture of a classroom at Red Oak that included a large pride flag and the school’s handle. The message provocatively asked, “Why would an elementary school have a massive progress pride flag hanging above students’ heads all day?”
The post from Libs of TikTok on X, formerly known as Twitter, had nearly 600,000 page views on Thursday. The account regularly mocks its targets. A similar message also was posted on the Libs of TikTok Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Highland Park police spokeswoman Amanda Bennett said she couldn’t comment on any possible link to the social media post, saying the investigation was ongoing. In a late afternoon statement, she said the department was notified at 7:40 a.m. Thursday by a local news organization that it had received a bomb threat directed at Red Oak School.
“Subsequent investigation indicates that similar emails threatening other public buildings across the country were sent to a number of organizations nationwide within the same timeframe,” the statement continued. “Given that these threats were sent to a number of organizations simultaneously, at this time no definitive motivation can be established. The police department will continue to collaborate on this investigation with local, state, and federal partners.”
She also said the department is increasing patrols and visits to all Highland Park schools. The bomb threat rattled a community still recovering from the July 4, 2022, mass shooting that killed seven people and wounded nearly 50.
USA Today reported last month that a school and a library targeted by Libs of TikTok on X also received bomb threats.
One situation involved a librarian who asked a group of speakers at an event to leave after they called female transgender athletes “biological males.” The bomb threat to that California library included “hate speech,” according to local police. The other situation in Oklahoma involved a librarian joking about her “woke agenda.”