Questions surround case of girl restrained in Addison school bathroom
Addison police released no new information Saturday about the girl found restrained Friday morning inside a bathroom at Indian Trail Junior High School.
The 9:44 a.m. discovery of the girl restrained in a student bathroom spurred a three-hour lockdown of 1,800 students at Indian Trail and next-door Army Trail Elementary School as police searched for — but didn’t find — any intruders or suspicious items.
As students began a three-day weekend because of Monday’s observance of Columbus Day, Addison Elementary District 4 Superintendent John Langton said counselors will be available Tuesday to help them cope with news of the lockdown and restraint of a fellow student. Counselors from District 4 as well as DuPage High School District 88 will be on call for both students and staff affected by Friday’s events, he said.
A message posted on the District 4 website Friday evening encouraged parents to contact their school’s office Tuesday morning if they are aware their child needs to talk about what happened. During the three-hour “hard” lockdown, students stayed away from windows and out of sight in locked classrooms with the lights off.
Students said Friday rumors were swirling after the lockdown about how the girl was restrained, but police Director Timothy “Bill” Hayden would not comment, saying information about the type of restraint could be used in interrogations.
Langton said it does not appear immediate changes to the district’s security policies are necessary because no suspicious people or items were found during Friday’s search. The district reviewed its safety procedures this summer and is always evaluating ways to ensure kids’ well-being, he said.
Calls to the president, vice president and secretary of the Addison District 4 school board were not returned Saturday.
The girl who was restrained was taken to a hospital Friday, but her identity and condition were not revealed.