Barrington student attempts to harm self at school

A student tried to hurt him or herself during an after-school program at Station Middle School in Barrington on Thursday, but officials said a student who walked in on the incident likely saved the classmates' life.

Shortly after 3 p.m., a student at the school that serves sixth, seventh and eighth graders, went into a restroom and discovered a student attempting self-harm inside a bathroom stall, said Barrington District 220 spokesman Jeff Arnett.

The student immediately alerted a teacher, who told the nurse and called 911. Barrington paramedics responded within minutes and the student was alert and responsive when emergency personnel arrived, Arnett said. The student, who officials are not identifying by name, age or gender, was taken to Advocate Good Shepard Hospital for precautionary observation overnight.

"Everything was handled exactly as it needed to be handled," Arnett said. "Of particular commendation is the student who happened upon the situation in the bathroom and immediately notified adults nearby. That student in all likelihood saved the life of the classmate."

School officials posted about the incident on the district's Facebook and notified parents immediately. Arnett said the district is being open about the situation in hopes that parents will use it as an opportunity to talk to their children.

"Barrington, as a school district, has had episodes of student suicides - although we have been very fortunate not to have any actual suicides for a number of years - but those tragedies are still fresh in everyone's mind," Arnett said.

In June, District 220 had an issue at an elementary school when two students were caught playing a "hanging game" with coat hooks in a bathroom. The students were uninjured, but the district removed all such hooks from its elementary school bathrooms.

"So anytime there is a situation where a student has tried to cause self-harm we want to use that as an opportunity to remind the community that there are options if a student is inclined to hurt him or herself. We want to use this as a learning opportunity," Arnett said.

There will be additional counselors at Station Middle School on Friday for students who need to discuss the situation.

'We could not have asked for everything to have transpired in a more rapid and appropriate fashion. Fortunately the student is OK and will hopefully return to school soon," he said.