A teen has been charged in Monday's incident at Lockport High in which a small explosion set off a toxic cloud of smoke. According to the Trib, the 15-year-old "was charged as a juvenile with unlawful possession of a weapon, reckless conduct and unlawful possession of an explosive device." The maximum jail time the teen would serve is six years since state law prohibits juveniles from serving time past the age of 21. Meanwhile, there's no word if the Monday incident was connected to Tuesday's bomb threat which also shut down the school. WBBM has more on the story, including parents' reactions. more ›

What the hell is going on at Lockport High these days? Either there's a really serious situation or some students are taking Spring Fever a little too far. In the wake of yesterday's alleged "prank" that involved toxic smoke and closed down the school, a phone threat was called in this morning that, once again, forced the school to shut down. According to a statement released by the school [PDF], when students return to campus tomorrow, backpacks, water bottles, and other containers will be banned and several other security precautions will be in place. [Chicago Breaking News] more ›

The Sun-Times is reporting that Lockport Township High School's Central Campus has been on lockdown since an incident this morning. Authorities say a "chemical improvised device with possible toxic substances" is the reason for the lockdown and that some injuries were reported from the incident. more ›

Bomb-sniffing dogs made an appearance at Lockport Township High School's East Campus yesterday after a custodian reported a bomb threat message written on a bathroom wall. Authorities found no evidence of suspicious activity, but took extra precautions this morning as classes resumed. A rash of bomb threats erupted at my high school in Pittsburgh back in the late 90s, and they practically turned into a joke. Fire drills out, bomb threats in. Not surprisingly, the source of the anarchy was a student who found it an effective way of getting out of tests. We applaud the Lockport police for taking this issue seriously, but it's time to enlist Encyclopedia Brown since he's already on the inside-job beat. [STS] more ›