Palatine High briefly evacuated

Halloween started with a scare at Palatine High School, which was briefly evacuated this morning after teachers prepping for a science experiment set off the fire alarm.

There were no injuries and no damage to the school.

Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 spokesman Tom Petersen gave a slightly different account of what happened than what was reported earlier.

He said it was two teachers, not students, who accidentally set off fire alarms while were preparing for the day's science classes at just before 8 a.m.

Petersen said the experiment involved mixing hydrogen peroxide with manganese oxide, which creates water vapor.

Students were briefly kept out of the building before the school day began.

The teachers and their students conducted the experiment throughout without incident, under a protective hood, Petersen said.