Barrington High School was placed on lockdown Friday and a student was arrested after bringing what authorities described as a pellet gun to school.
According to Barrington School District 220 spokeswoman Samantha Ptashkin, just before 8:30 a.m. Friday, a student noticed another student carrying a gun under a shirt while the two students were in a high school bathroom. The student reported it to school administrators and the school resource officer, who is also a Barrington police officer, immediately responded.
Advertisement
According to Ptashkin, the officer located what was considered a pellet gun and took the student into custody.
“‘If you see something, say something’ is a phrase that we share with our students often and this is an example of how reporting can help school administrators and law enforcement take immediate action to keep everyone safe,” Ptashkin said.
Advertisement
No one was injured in the incident, Ptashkin said. The school building was placed on an immediate, brief hard lockdown — with no one in or out.
However, Ptashkin said there was no further or ongoing threat at the school and classes resumed after the incident was resolved.
Ptashkin said the district couldn’t offer any details about the arrested student, including age, gender or grade level.
“Too often, concerning situations are not reported. That was not the case at BHS. Because the situation was reported immediately, school administrators and law enforcement were able to take immediate action to make sure our students and staff remained safe,” SD220 Superintendent Robert Hunt told Pioneer Press in an emailed statement.
Barrington police did not immediately respond to Pioneer Press requests for additional information.
“I want to personally thank the individuals who came forward with information. I also want to thank our staff and local law enforcement. We are very fortunate to have a positive relationship with the Barrington Police Department,” Hunt stated in the email.
The high school’s student services center, Ptashkin said, has been made available for students who want to speak to mental health professionals to deal with what happened at school Friday.
Elizabeth Owens-Schiele is a freelancer.
