In a reply to the incident from HCI's High School Council president, Timothy Yap: "the posting on STOMP over this incident is the action of one Hwa Chong student and his views expressed do not represent the student body."

He said, "the student body as a whole agrees that the teachers have not been unreasonable in this incident. The lesson for us to learn here is the good habit of taking care of our own belongings, not just in school, but outside the campus. After all, watchfulness is the best method for crime prevention."

"The school has provided us with several safekeeping measures. Lockers are available for students who need to keep their valuables, such as laptops. Besides, the classrooms are equipped with digital locks. Each Class Representative has the digital code for locking the classroom when there is no one inside the room.

"In spite of this, some students take the safekeeping measures and repeated reminders for granted. This is why there is a need for us as students to learn the importance of being accountable for our own belongings."

The school also defended the actions of the teachers.

According to a HCI spokesperson: "The school is heartened by the teachers' efforts in going the extra mile to educate students on being responsible for their own belongings.

"To facilitate the students' learning from this episode, the teachers got the students to pen reflections before returning the items to them. We hope to work more closely with parents to educate our students on the importance of responsibility."