St. Louis-area school reopens after threat

HOUSE SPRINGS, Mo. (AP) -- A St. Louis-area high school stepped up security Monday, days after a student wrote threatening graffiti and was taken into juvenile custody.

Northwest High School Principal James Knirr said attendance Monday appeared to be about the same as the average school day as he walked the halls.

More than 150 worried parents and students attended a meeting Sunday, where Northwest officials said the school would be safe when it reopened. Parents had grown concerned after a teacher found a 16-year-old student writing threatening graffiti on a restroom wall Friday.

After questioning the student, authorities searched the student's home with permission from the teen's parents and found items that bomb experts are investigating.

The teen was taken into the custody of juvenile authorities.

The high school was thoroughly searched over the weekend and nothing suspicious was found.