PROPHETSTOWN – Prophetstown High School saw a big drop in attendance Friday – the day that a student had warned would see violence.

Of the school’s 310 students, 70 were no-shows – about 22 percent, Principal Kevin Parker said. Normally, the school has a 5 percent to 6 percent absenteeism rate, he said.

The principal declined to speculate on the reasons for the absences, but he said the school day seemed normal, despite a police presence. Prophetstown police officers and Whiteside County sheriff’s deputies were on hand during the day, Parker said.