Update: Never Any Safety Concerns In School Incident

An investigation by Dr. Jean LeBlanc, principal of Nelson School in Niles, and Niles police confirmed that an innocent conversation got misinterpreted by young children Monday, leading to rumors that may have scared some children.

A neighbor had spoken to some second and third graders near the school's playground Monday, giving a well-intentioned warning not to run into the street to retrieve a ball, said Sgt. Robert Tornabene of the Niles Police Department. The man never asked the boys their nationality, as earlier reported, or tried to lure, strike or bother them in any way, he said.

The police officer who responded did make contact the neighbor promptly that same day, unbeknownst to the principal, he said.

Dr. LeBlanc determined that the children misunderstood the neighbor's intent to keep them safe, and their vivid imaginations and sense of adventure apparently got the stories rolling.

"In one second-grade classroom, the stories spread like wildfire. They sort of got carried away," she said. "They weren't being troublemakers, they were just caught up in the drama."

"It was a good learning lesson. We'll move on to other and better things." 

The original story, which reported that some students said a neighbor struck a child or children, can be read