RANTOUL, Ill. (WCIA) — A Champaign County school district said gunshots in a nearby neighborhood caused an elementary school to heighten security Monday afternoon.
Police said shots were fired just after 2 p.m. near Briarcliff Drive, which is about a half mile away from the school.
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Rantoul City Schools Superintendent Scott Woods said it was the Eastlawn Elementary School. He said the district was told by police it was happening nearby and was able to move accordingly.
“We were alerted by Rantoul Police Department at about 2:10 p.m. that there was an incident in the neighborhood around Eastlawn Elementary School,” Woods said.
Rantoul Police said it was a shooting. A vehicle was headed southbound on Juniper Drive when a gold SUV fired several rounds in its direction. Police said they recovered around a dozen shell casings on the scene. They said no one was hurt, and the SUV was last seen heading north on Maplewood Drive, which is the road the school is on.
Superintendent Scott Woods said the school resource officer caused the school to raise security protocols, but they didn’t fully go into lockdown.
“Secure means that we lock all doors into the building,” Woods said. “They’re normally locked, but we don’t let people into the building or out of the building. And any students that are outside for recess come back into the building, but otherwise, it’s business as usual inside the building.”
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Woods said around 2:30 p.m., they heard from Rantoul Police that the secure designation could be lifted.
“We were able to dismiss students through our normal dismissal process,” Woods said.
WCIA talked to a parent who has a child attending Eastlawn. She said she got a notification about the secure designation and when it was lifted. She also said the district handled it well, and she feels safe sending her kids to Rantoul schools.
“The Rantoul Police Department did a great job of keeping us informed, and the school staff did a good job responding,” Woods said. “By the time I got there, that building was silent on the inside.”
Woods said that at this point, this incident won’t affect school on Tuesday at all. The Rantoul Police Department said the investigation is ongoing. They’re asking for anyone who has information about this case to submit an anonymous tip to Champaign County Crimestoppers at 217-373-8477 or =call the department directly at 217-892-2103.
