Batavia High School cleared after report of person armed with rifle entering school
BATAVIA, Ill. (WLS) -- Batavia High School has been cleared after police responded to a reported threat at Batavia High School Monday morning.
At about 6:03 a.m., Batavia police received a report of a male subject dressed in black who may have been armed with a rifle entering Batavia High School.
Batavia police and other law enforcement agencies responded and searched the school. After reviewing surveillance video, Batavia police said they believe the person was a student athlete with a baseball bat.
Batavia Public School District 101 said that people were not allowed to enter the building. After the school was cleared, the school district said that Batavia High School classes resumed at 10:51 a.m.
Val Olsen, the food services manager at the high school, said she was in her office when an armed police officer ran inside to evacuate the area.
"He was there with a rifle and I'm like freaking out," Olsen said. "He said, 'Ma'am, you need to leave, we have a situation going on.' I was shaken and sick to my stomach all I could think was grab your jacket, my keys were in there, and get out."
Students and staff said the scene was chaotic.
"Cop cars flying everywhere, rifles drawn and shields... it was like a scene out of a movie," Olsen said.
Jacob Burrows, a junior at Batavia High School, said he was prepared for the worst.
"I prepare situations in my head like if this happened, what would I do," Burrows said.
Batavia police said their department was also prepared to take action and although now unfounded, appreciated the concerned resident's tip.
"The last thing that we want is to not take this seriously and then have an issue," said Batavia Deputy Police Chief Shawn Mazza.
Batavia Public School District 101 Superintendent Dr. Lisa Hichens posted a statement saying, "Early this morning a concerned citizen reported to the police someone who may have been carrying a weapon entered Batavia High School. The Batavia Police Department responded and were on the scene within minutes. They investigated and eventually cleared the situation. Thankfully, there was no threat to safety; it appears that the concern was caused by a student entering school carrying athletic equipment.
"I'd like to thank all members of the Batavia Police Department and the many other responding agencies for their swift and thorough action. It was an enormous undertaking to sweep each classroom at the high school and ensure the safety of the campus. I'd also like to thank all of our staff members, students, and parents for their patience throughout the investigation.
"At BPS101, we take all incident reports seriously, and all of the safety processes that we have in place worked as planned this morning. While this incident was unfounded, it proved to be a valuable experience in testing our emergency response, communication, and coordination with multiple agencies. We will complete a joint review of the situation with first responders.
"We understand that this type of incident can be upsetting. Additional supports are available for all staff and students in our Counseling and Advising departments districtwide today for anyone needing assistance.
Students were back in session at Batavia High School this morning by 11 a.m. and classes and activities resumed as usual."
