A student was charged with disorderly conduct after a note with a list of other students’ names regarding “potential violence” was found in a hallway at Cary-Grove High School Friday afternoon, officials said.
A school resource officer and Cary-Grove High School administration were made aware at around 1 p.m. Friday of a note found in a hallway of the school, located at 2208 Three Oaks Road in Cary, Cary Deputy Police Chief Scott Naydenoff said.
The note contained a list of student names, but Naydenoff said it did not mention any “direct violence” towards the students.
In a letter sent to parents on Friday, Cary-Grove High School Principal Rebecca Saffert said that the note “raised concerns regarding potential violence towards students.”
Police and school administration believed the note warranted further investigation.
Authorities quickly identified a juvenile student as the person who allegedly wrote the note.
“The student was interviewed, a thorough investigation was conducted, and it was determined there was no current threat to student safety,” Naydenoff said.
The student was charged with disorderly conduct because the note was “alarming and disturbing” to the people who found it, Naydenoff said.
The student was released to their parents with a court appearance date.
“School personnel are handling any school discipline and further assessments,” Naydenoff added.
Lake and McHenry County Scanner spoke to a parent whose child’s name was on the list.
The parent said that school officials told them violence against the listed students was indicated in the note.
“Unfortunately, [student]’s name was on the list of students that the other student wanted to potentially hurt,” Cary-Grove High School Vice Principal Sarah Schwartz said in a voicemail to the parent.
Lake and McHenry County Scanner has reached out to Community High School District 155 administration for further information.
“We would like to express our gratitude to the Cary Police for their prompt response in addressing this matter and want to emphasize that at no point were our students in any danger,” Saffert said in the letter to parents.
The incident occurred just two days after students returned for the fall semester.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect information from school officials that the note allegedly contained “potential violence” towards students, differing from the police narrative that there was no “direct violence.”