Found bullets put Burlington, Elgin schools on lockdown

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Updated: January 27, 2012 11:10AM

ELGIN — Central Community Unit School District 301 is encouraging parents to talk to their children about “the importance of not bringing prohibited items to school” after bullets were found this week at two separate schools in the district.

Country Trails Elementary School in Elgin was placed on “soft lockdown” Tuesday after a teacher found a bullet in the second-floor hallway “right at dismissal” Monday, according to District 301 Superintendent Todd Stirn.

“It was decided when students arrived in the building, we wanted to disrupt their day as little as possible,” Stirn said.

A soft lockdown means that while students were in their classrooms and instruction continued as normal Tuesday, District 301 administrators, Elgin police and dogs trained to sniff out guns and explosives searched “all personal belongings” in the building, the superintendent said. Police and dogs also had searched the building Monday after the bullet had been found, he added.

Both times, police declared the building, at 3701 Highland Woods Blvd., to be clear, according to the superintendent.

Central Middle School similarly was placed on soft lockdown for about three hours Wednesday, according to Kane County sheriff’s police. That occurred after a student there found a bullet in the hallway during a passing period at about 9:40 a.m., police said.

Again, police found nothing in the building, at 44W303 Plato Road, Burlington, Stirn said.

In both cases, he said, “It would be as if I had a bullet in my pocket and dropped it on the floor.” There was no evidence either had been shot, he said.

But, he said, “Administration and staff took them very seriously, obviously. It’s the responsibility of everyone to make a safe and secure environment. We continue to be very vigilant.”

Both incidents remained under investigation as of Thursday afternoon.