Rihanna is supposed to visit the suburban school Friday afternoon to recognize the students and groups who won her national "Shine Bright Like a Diamond" video contest.
A release from Barrington 220 School District says Rihanna "wants the focus of the event to be on the students, not on her."
The denial of media access to the event goes against the school district's "normal" procedure, which would have permitted news coverage, the release stated.
