Principal: Gun Threat at Palatine High School Not Credible

After chatter was discovered on Twitter and other social media sites regarding students bringing a gun at Palatine High School Friday, Principal Gary Steiger sent out a statement to parents Thursday categorizing the threats as “non-credible.” 

“We investigated and determined that the reports repeated portions of an overheard conversation where words and statements were taken out of context between two people talking to each other in the media center,” Steiger said in the statement.

Steiger went on to explain that many times after tragedies such as the deadly shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School just a week ago, in addition to the “hype” surrounding the Mayan calendar and predicted end of the world Friday, similar rumors are not totally unexpected.

The Palatine police department has been working closely with the school despite the chatter being classified as rumors. 

“As a precautionary measure, we [Palatine High School] will be working with the police to have an increased presence over the next two days in our school,” Steiger said in the statement.

Steiger said police and school officials will continue to investigate the situation and encouraged parents to reach out to the school with any additional information.