Police presence at Huntley High School not a cause for concern says school principal

HUNTLEY — On the morning of April 28, community members took notice of an unusually large number of police vehicles stationed at Huntley High School’s campus.

Despite concerns from alarmed residents, Huntley High School Principal Marcus Belin assured parents in an email, that there was no danger to students or staff members of the school.

“This morning we are conducting a routine, unannounced search of our parking lot, locker rooms, and building in conjunction with the Huntley Police Department and local authorities and canine units,” said Belin in his email to parents of HHS students. “We conduct these checks a few times a year as a proactive safety and security measure in accordance with the student handbook.”

The Huntley High School 2021-22 Student Handbook, explains that school officials retain the authority to “conduct routine inspection of student parking lots and the exteriors of student vehicles on school property.”

Inspection of the interiors of student vehicles may also be searched without notice, student consent, or a search warrant should there be a suspicion that a vehicle contains contraband or other evidence of a violation of school policy, which is allowed under Illinois statute 105 ILCS/5/10-22.6.

The student handbook also makes mention of routine visits made by school safety dogs that are certified in the detection of narcotics, alcohol, gunpowder, commonly abused prescriptions, and over-the-counter medications.

During the search of the campus, Belin told parents that Huntley High School was placed into a “Hold in Place and Teach” lockdown to enable authorities to do their work without interruption.

“During a ‘Hold in Place and Teach,’ common spaces and hallways are cleared and students remain supervised and learning in classrooms. Movement into and out of the building is restricted,” Belin explained in his email.

Students that were off-campus during the lockdown were told to remain off school property until they received an alert giving them the “All Clear” to return to campus following the completion of the inspection.

“We understand that due to the surprise nature of these inspections, our families and students do not have full information about the situation before it occurs,” Belin told families of students. “Thank you for your understanding of the necessity of proactive measures such as this to ensure a safe school environment.”