Gower Student Disciplined For Threat: Official

BURR RIDGE, IL – A Gower Middle School student who made a threat to harm other students with a gun was disciplined, the superintendent said in a public statement Thursday.

In Gower School District 62's regular newsletter, Superintendent Victor Simon addressed the threat that the district said came to light the previous week.

He said student misconduct is met with disciplinary consequences and that the latest case was no different. He did not say what the discipline was.

"Despite using our District Threat Assessment Procedure to make that determination when this issue was brought to light, rumors surfaced and spread quickly across a number of student and parent groups via social media," Simon said in the newsletter.

That assessment, he said, was conducted with the Burr Ridge Police Department.

"In short, students make some bad choices, they act out, they break rules, and they can say and do things that might seem easy to hold up for comparison and exclaim, 'My child would never!', or 'The school could have, should have...!'" Simon said.

He said he did not intend to make light of a "serious situation." He said the threat was not credible.

"This recent issue certainly has had an impact on the Gower Middle portion of our community and there has been a difference in opinion in the level of satisfaction with our response and subsequent approach toward prevention and resolution around student misconduct," Simon said. "And it shows once again, without question, that 'We're in This Together!'"

In an email to Patch, Simon said the threat was not made on Snapchat.

"Rumors did start and continue on Snapchat for a good portion of a day last week based on what other children may have heard prior to the school-wide message that was sent your way," the superintendent said.

Tracy Murphy, principal of Gower Middle School, issued a statement last week to families about the incident.