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Students, parents and teachers demanding answers over safety concerns
The Elmwood Park High School students are demanding change and have a host of demands.
ELMWOOD PARK, Ill. - Suburban students walked out of classes in protest on Tuesday over concerns of safety at their school.
The Elmwood Park High School students were demanding change, and have a host of demands.
The walkout came after a 17-year-old student recently brought a loaded gun and knife to the school, and after a threat was issued online last week against the school. Police say the threat was unfounded.
Last Monday, police say a 17-year-old brought a gun into the school building. A student alerted a teacher, and the teen suspect was then confronted in the bathroom by security and two school deans.
FOX 32’s Anita Padilla spoke exclusively to the school’s head of security who said a dean told him the student had a vape pen. The kid eventually escaped the building still armed. Security called police, but the school was never placed on lockdown.
The suspect was taken into custody not far from the school.
The teen is charged with possession of a weapon and is now on electronic monitoring.
Reports indicate that on the same day, the 17-year-old's teacher told staff the student made comments about school shootings.
On Tuesday, about 100 students walked out of classes to protest their safety at the school.
"They didn’t really inform anyone until a day later. It’s frustrating. We have all these drills that we always do, and they didn’t actually do these drills when it happened, ya know? It’s weird," one student said.
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A letter to parents from the school’s interim principal said Tuesday "safety is our top priority." They also increased police patrols during the walkout.
A school board meeting will be held Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Elmwood Park High School. Parents, teachers and students will attend, some calling on the district to be transparent about the recent threats.