Lake Forest High School officials and police are investigating a series of recent incidents at the school — including the discovery of a loose bullet — that have raised safety and transparency questions from some families.
Principal Erin Lenart issued a series of letters to the community, the latest one coming Monday night, revealing there have been three episodes over the last two weeks.
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The first incident occurred Sept. 26 when, Lenart said, the administration received a report of a student on campus watching a video about weapons, unaware he was being recorded.
“This incident was promptly handled by our administration in accordance with our student code of conduct,” the principal wrote. “After our investigation, this incident was not deemed to be a threat to LFHS.”
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Then on Oct. 6, Lenart revealed a single bullet was discovered in a “well-traveled” part of the school library.
While police were notified, Lenart wrote that students who were in the general area were questioned and there was a review of video surveillance, but the individual who left it has yet to be identified. She said it was in a busy part of the school, where hundreds of students walk by on a daily basis.
“The case with the bullet is under investigation,” Lake Forest Deputy Police Chief Rob Copeland said Monday.
A loose bullet was also discovered at Marengo High School last week on a school floor, but police do not believe there is a connection.
“There is nothing to indicate there is any connection,” Marengo Police Chief Nathan Hayes said.
Lenart wrote the administration determined the discovery of the bullet did not pose an imminent threat to staff and students. LFHS would have been closed Friday if the administration thought it was not safe. She added security was bolstered Friday, including extra school resource officers placed at the building.
A third incident occurred Saturday morning as students and staff were at the building for extracurricular activities, including an athletic event. Inside a bathroom, there was a discovery of a drawing of a swastika, a school evacuation map, graffiti with an image of a potential location of a school shooter and a student name as a supposed signature, according to Lenart.
“Our administrative team evacuated the building and worked alongside LFPD to interview and investigate students who were in the vicinity of the bathroom,” Lenart wrote. “As of Saturday evening, our local police department provided the school with confirmation that three students, at differing levels of involvement, had immediate knowledge of and/or were responsible for the (graffiti-scrawled) evacuation map.”
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As of Tuesday morning, no charges had been filed in this case either, according to Copeland.
While saying the specifics of any consequences would be confidential, Lenart added the school’s code of conduct would apply for disciplinary measures against the students involved.
She added the student who was observed watching the video on Sept. 26 was not connected to the Saturday incident.
Lenart acknowledged she heard many types of messages from the community regarding the school’s reporting on these incidents, characterizing some in positive terms and others with “frustration” and “disdain.”
“The safety of our school community remains our top priority,” she wrote. “I have heard from some who want to know the outcome of an investigation, to ensure that potential threats have been removed from our school community. Though I am limited in what I can disclose with regard to specifics, I would never allow for any known individual who poses a threat to our students and staff to be present in our building.”
Lenart noted District 115 is undergoing a safety and security review, and a report is expected to be delivered to the school board next month. She added the security camera system inside the school is being upgraded.
