WAUPUN, Wis. (WTAQ) - Police in Waupun are looking into what prompted a 9th grader to try to light himself on fire at school.  

Police Liaison Officer Patti Toll says the student brought a water bottle filled with gasoline to the Waupun Area High School last week.

She says he poured the gas on his head in the bathroom and unsuccessfully tried to light himself on fire. The student was not hurt.

Toll says the student told her he did it as a statement because he was being bullied. School officials are investigating whether bullying occurred.

Interim Superintendent Don Childs tells FOX 11 the student was previously diagnosed with a mental illness. He says the student was taken to the hospital after the incident and remains there.