From charles.johns at d214.org Sun Oct 21 16:03:20 2007 From: charles.johns at d214.org (Charles Johns) Date: Sun Oct 21 16:59:03 2007 Subject: [RMHS] Important RMHS Information Message-ID: Dear Parents and Community Members: I want to share some information regarding an investigation that has been taking place in our school community. I?m sure that there is a great deal of talk beginning to spread regarding the investigation and I want to provide as much factual information as possible in order to prevent misinformation from spreading and to allay fears. The police have informed me that their investigation is at a point that I can share this information without jeopardizing their work. On Friday evening, a mother inquired about a student?s day and learned that the student was concerned about a statement that was overheard at lunch regarding a shooting that was to take place next week at school. The mother promptly and appropriately called her police department. That police department quickly contacted the Rolling Meadows Police Department, who began to investigate the overheard conversation with the assistance of the RMHS administration. The students involved were identified and interviewed by police investigators. We learned that those involved in the conversation were discussing information that they had heard previously from others. Throughout much of the night and the entire day on Saturday, as many as eight RMPD investigators followed up on every lead that emerged. Any student involved in any aspect of this conversation was interviewed by a seasoned investigator. Facts from those conversations were cross checked with other witnesses and RMHS staff members. Ultimately, the police and the school administration learned that the fears expressed by the student on Friday night were the result of an unfortunate emotional outburst by a student followed by a series of students retelling the incident and embellishing it at each turn. The original statement that the student made was significantly different than the one overheard being retold on Friday. The original statement did not suggest that any harm is going to happen to any student or staff member at our school. It appears that a few adolescents, perhaps wanting some attention, took liberties to retell a story in a way that was much more captivating and entertaining than the truth. We know that these types of situations are very real causes for concern and are frightening to students, parents, and staff. As a result, from the very moment that RMPD was notified of this concern, the fullest resources of the school and police department were mobilized to find the truth. After an exhaustive investigation we jointly believe that there is no cause for fear and that it will be safe to come to school next week. We?re extremely grateful for the parent who inquired about her student?s day. What should be part of all of our conversations with our students enabled critical information to come to light. Second, we?re grateful that the parent quickly responded by calling the police. Getting this information into the hands of either the police or the school as quickly as possible provides us with as much time as possible to investigate a concern. If this situation had turned out to be worse, this time may have been needed to protect students and staff. Through this event a number of important reminders come to mind: ? First, if you ever have information that suggests that the safety of students or staff is in question, please call the police or the school immediately. RMHS offers an Anonymous Tip Line that is checked every morning. The phone number for the tip line is 847.718.5810. ? Second, the police department and the school take all matters of student safety very seriously. Both the police and the school administration worked late into the night on Friday and throughout the day and evening on Saturday in order to get all the facts and double check all the accounts of the conversations. ? Third, it is far better to err on the side of safety. Even though this situation turned out to be benign, certainly there were frightened students involved. It is far better to find out the truth than to hope that it was all a mistake. Please let the police and the school determine if it is a cause for concern. We would rather investigate something that turns out to be nothing, than suffer a tragedy wondering how we never knew about it in advance. ? Finally, our students need to learn that embellishing on stories in this matter can cause very real consequences. Just like pulling a false alarm, making up stories like these divert police and administration?s time and attention from other matters and has the potential to create panic and disrupt the operation of the school. Students who are proven to have made up stories and embellished facts will be treated accordingly. We hope this letter alleviates any fear that would suggest that students should stay home Monday. For the near future, there will be additional police patrols on our campus. The patrols are purely intended to provide comfort to fearful students, parents, and staff who may still have concerns after learning the facts in this incident. There is so much sad information in the news these days that we understand that despite this letter, members of our school community may still be wary for their safety. Thank you for understanding that due to privacy laws, I cannot name the students involved in this investigation and that speculation about their identify is harmful. Both the school and the Rolling Meadows Police Department want to assure you that the high school is safe and inform you that the safety of your child and the staff is paramount. I thank you for your continued support. Sincerely, Charles Johns _______________________________________________ Charles Johns, Ph.D. Principal Rolling Meadows High School 847.718.5600 All e-mail correspondence to and from this address is subject to the Acceptable Use Policies of District 214, which may result in monitoring and disclosure to third parties, including law enforcement. Any views or opinions presented in this e-mail are solely those of the author and might not represent those of Township High School District 214.