Despite threat, prom is on at Barrington High

Barrington High School's prom is to go on as scheduled Saturday, though with extra security following a threat of violence at the event.

The threat is not credible, school officials stressed after consulting with police.

It came in the form of a "vague, typewritten letter" in a hand-addressed envelope that arrived at the school late Tuesday, Barrington Area Unit District 200 spokesman Jeff Arnett said in a prepared statement.

The prom is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday at an Itasca hotel.

Thursday morning, Arnett said school district officials and Itasca police were at the hotel working on a plan for heightened security.

In a letter sent home to parents, Principal Emil Rode said there will be an increased security presence at the hotel.

He said students should plan to arrive early to go through a discreet screening process that was compared to going through a security checkpoint at an airport.

Rode said students should consider limiting carried items such as purses and clutches.

Students will also enter through a secondary entrance away from the main hotel entrance and separate from other hotel guests.

There will also be intermittent K-9 searches and patrols of the parking lots.

"The school district and high school determined this event is too important to students and their families to be disrupted by a vague threat," Arnett said. "Nevertheless, we will make sure every security measure is in place."

An informational meeting for parents and students is scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday at the high school. Parents will be able to learn more about the security measures and ask questions of school administrators and members of the Barrington-Inverness Police Department.

In his letter to parents, Rode said those who decide not to attend prom will be given full refunds next week.