The who, what and why of the school lockdown

As the search for escaped bank robber Robert Maday spread through the suburbs Friday, dozens of schools in three counties were put on soft lockdowns, which were lifted shortly after Maday's capture in West Chicago.

Disruption to class instruction is minimal under a soft lockdown because students are allowed to move throughout the building, but restricted from entering or leaving.

The decision to lock down rests with the schools, but often is based on advisories from police.

Following police advice, Rolling Meadows High School was in soft lockdown Friday while Elk Grove High School and the Forest View Educational Center lifted ones they had imposed Thursday, when the manhunt was centered in south Arlington Heights.

"The police departments felt there was no imminent danger to the schools," Northwest Suburban District 214 spokeswoman Venetia Miles said.

Neighboring Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 officials were more conservative and put all five schools on soft lockdown both days, even though Thursday's police activity was taking place more than 10 miles away from Palatine High School.

"We decided to error on the side of caution," spokesman Tom Petersen said. "We didn't know what was going on or where (Maday) was headed and we knew our students and staff would be safe in our buildings."

Some Arlington Heights residents were disturbed to see kids from the Forest View Educational Center milling about Thursday afternoon, even though they were within a couple blocks of the search area.

The Arlington Heights Police Department wanted the Forest View campus evacuated, so students began leaving the building shortly before 2 p.m., Miles said.

Miles said the students waited inside until the buses arrived, but that there was "miscommunication" figuring out which buses to board because of an improvised busing schedule. That could have led to confused students briefly waiting outside, she said. In addition, Vanguard School, one of three alternative schools in the Forest View complex, had students out performing community service who returned to Forest View to get their cars.

"The police wanted to get our kids out of possible harm's way, so we had to put the ball in motion to get buses here to transport our kids," said Miles, adding that District 214 schools follow a standardized crisis plan and regularly holds practice drills implementing it.

The food services department perhaps faces the biggest challenge during a lockdown because upperclassmen who typically leave the campus for lunch are now eating in the cafeteria with everyone else, Miles said. Physical education classes are also moved inside, but schools have the facilities to deal with the additional activity since classes are held inside during the winter.

One victim of a soft lockdown is a high school's work study program, in which students typically spend the afternoon at a job to gain work experience. Those students are prohibited from leaving campus.

To communicate developments with parents, most schools post information on their Web sites and send automated phone messages.

Even though the lockdowns inconvenienced parents who had to wait in lines to sign their children out at the end of the day, District 59 spokeswoman Betsy Boswell said she heard few complaints.

"I know some parents feel there should be a better way to do this than stand in line, but the safety of the children is our first concern," she said.

The lockdown in District 59 meant students enrolled in morning kindergarten stayed in school until 2 p.m. Thursday, when police told the schools it was safe for dismissal.