10 BHS Students Arrested, Suspended for Drinking Alcohol

Barrington police cited 10 students for underage consumption of alcohol Saturday night.

The school suspended all of the students pending further disciplinary action, Barrington District 220 spokesperson Jeff Arnett said.

Six of the students were discovered when they showed up to a fundraising dance at the high school. The other four students were caught later that evening.

Detective Sergeant Kevin Croke said six students were cited at the dance. They included a 16-year-old boy from North Barrington, a 17-year-old girl from Lake Barrington, a 17-year-old girl from Hoffman Estates, a 16-year-old girl from South Barrington, a 16-year-old girl from Barrington and a 16-year-old boy from Barrington.

“They evidently had consumed alcohol before they arrived at the event," Arnett said. "They  were taken aside and not allowed to participate in the event." He said the six students arrived together.

“As resident of the community, I would take comfort and confidence that the students were taken into custody before they participated in the dance. There are procedures in place to safeguard students,” Arnett said.

The other four students, all 17-year-old boys, were apprehended by police at Waverly Road and Bryant Avenue later that evening and cited for underage alcohol consumption. They were from Fox River Grove, Barrington, Lake Barrington and Barrington Hills.

“The other four were stopped in a car. They had been at the dance earlier. We can’t say for certainty whether they drank at the dance,” Croke, said.

Arnett said, according to the school’s investigations, the four boys had attended a party after the dance.

The Blacklight dance held Saturday night at the BHS cafeteria was a fundraiser organized by the Barrington Area Community Foundation Youth Advisory Council. According to event organizers the dance attracted about 1,200 students and raised $17,000 to help fund unmet needs in the community.

“The incidents Saturday night are in no way a negative reflection of the organization that planned and hosted the dance. They are a very good partner with the school,” Arnett said.

Croke said the officer at the dance reported that the event was understaffed and that he felt overwhelmed.

“It was a nightmare for him,” Croke said. “They needed a lot more adult supervision, not parents, but school personnel.”

Arnett said the student arrests were not a result of the way the dance was planned or conducted.

“There was nothing done differently for this event. It was an outside organization, but it was still the same supervision and protocol as at any other event,” Arnett said.

Arnett said there will be consequences for the 10 students who were suspended for underage drinking. Consequences depend on whether or not the student has had prior disciplinary issues and what activites the student is involved in.

“It depends on what the student is involved in; for instance, if involved in athletics, there is an  additional standard of behavior. Athletes caught using illegal substances are subject to greater consequences,” Arnett said.

“This is taken very seriously. The school has high expectations in terms of student behavior. The school has to act to underscore the gravity of the situation,” Arnett said.