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Glenbard East parents address safety concerns after student brings loaded gun to school
Nearly two weeks after a high school freshman brought a loaded gun to Glenbard East High School, parents are demanding greater transparency from the district, feeling their concerns are not being taken seriously.
LOMBARD, Ill. - Nearly two weeks after a student brought a loaded gun to Glenbard East High School, parents are demanding answers, action, and greater transparency from the school district.
They tell FOX 32 Chicago they are outraged that students were not placed on lockdown when the loaded weapon was found just before dismissal, and that it took more than three hours for families to be notified.
On Monday night, a group of parents voiced their concerns during a Glenbard Township High School District 87 board meeting.
They say they had requested safety issues be included on the agenda, but those requests were not acknowledged prior to the meeting. At the meeting, however, a list of Glenbard District 87 safety precautions was printed and made available for those in attendance.
Several parents spoke out during the public comment section of the meeting, which was held at Glenbard West High School in Glen Ellyn. Supt. David Larson later reviewed a list of security measures in place within the school district, but parents say that’s not enough.
"Dr. Larson, I don’t know where you’ve been, we haven’t heard anything from you except for today, a little statement on the news. As a public educator, these are our children," said Katie LaCount, Glenbard East High School parent.
"Children should not be desensitized to this, neither should parents—so do something about it," another parent added.
On Tuesday, Sept. 10, a loaded gun was found in a boys' bathroom at Glenbard East High School in Lombard, leading to felony charges against a 14-year-old freshman student.
Parents first received notification of the incident in an email sent at 5:40 p.m. that day.
"My number one concern is that the protocol was not followed. There was a 9mm loaded gun found at 2:15 p.m. and students are dismissed at 2:19 p.m., which means there were four minutes to lock down and figure out what was going on and instead of that, school was dismissed," said LaCount.
As of dismissal time the day of the incident, the perpetrator had not yet been identified. Through an investigation, Lombard police officers traced the gun to an address in Glendale Heights, later determined to be the student’s home. There, he was interviewed and taken into custody.
Then just two days later, on Thursday, Sept. 12, district officials informed families that a visitor at the school had openly discussed having a Concealed Carry License, and a gun was later discovered in that person's car.
Finally, a third incident occurred on Friday, Sept. 20, when Glenbard East High School was placed on lockdown after officials were made aware of a social media threat, which was later determined to be unfounded.
In light of those recent incidents, parents feel there is no more time to wait; they say they want increased safety measures implemented now to protect their children.
They've even started an online petition advocating for the installation of metal detectors at Glenbard East High School.
"If you look at the school board's website, they have a list of commitments and all of them are education-based, but it's a moot point if they're not safe," said Glenbard East High School parent Kirsten Friedrichs. "I want to work with the school, I want to work with the school board in, ‘how can we keep our kids safer?’ ‘How can we work together to make this happen?’ So, be it metal detectors, be it, you know, clear backpacks, whatever it is, you know, bags being searched, but there is nothing that is stopping anyone from bringing a weapon into these schools."
Superintendent David Larson of Glenbard Township High School District 87 released the following statement to FOX 32 Chicago on Monday:
"With recent incidents, we understand it has been an emotional and stressful time for students, staff and families. The safety of our students and staff continues to be our top priority. We would like to extend our gratitude to the leaders, staff and students for their increased vigilance and adherence to safety protocols. We are confident in our systems, structures and protocols for overall safety. These recent incidents validate the strength of our overall safety plan. They also help us to continue to enhance and improve our comprehensive approach to safety for our school community."
Larson shared similar remarks during Monday evening’s meeting in an effort to reassure parents, telling them their safety concerns are being taken extremely seriously.
As for the teen charged with bringing a loaded gun to school, he appeared in court last week and has since been released on home detention with electronic monitoring.