Highland Park parents call for action after multiple school safety incidents

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. - Dozens of concerned parents in Highland Park attended Tuesday night’s District 113 school board meeting, demanding enhanced security measures in response to recent safety incidents.

Their concerns come after an armed student was taken into custody earlier in the day at TrueNorth Educational Cooperative, which is not a part of District 113 but further stoked fears about school safety in the area. No shots were fired and no one was injured in the incident, and police noted the armed student did not appear to have intended harm.

The City of Highland Park released a statement regarding the arrest, which read in part: 

"Public safety is the highest priority of the City. Although the preliminary investigation indicates that this was an isolated incident, out of an abundance of caution, the Police Department will be increasing patrols near all Highland Park schools." 

During the board meeting, parents expressed frustrations about security measures at Highland Park High School, which is part of District 113.

Suzi Wahl, a mother of a junior at the school, highlighted recent troubling incidents, including a hard lockdown due to a gun on campus last April and a student’s murder just a block from the school in August 2023.

"Our core security layer is broken," Wahl said, referencing a lack of weapons detection systems in the district.

In response to the concerns, the board appointed Lane Linder to fill the vacancy of director of security for District 113. Linder, a retired Park Forest police commander with extensive experience in school safety, will take over in October and is expected to lead efforts to enhance the district’s security protocols.

Linder’s appointment comes as the district prepares to implement additional security measures, including a roaming K9 unit to be introduced in January. The dogs are trained to alert their handlers when they detect the scent of guns and explosives.

District 113 released the following statement:

"The safety of students and staff is the number one priority in District 113. To support that priority, the District has implemented and continues to implement multiple layers of security to mitigate the risk of gun violence in our schools and on our campuses. We know that no one practice or product alone will eliminate all risk so we are constantly examining our protocols, evaluating emerging technology and consulting with law enforcement in our efforts to make our schools as safe as possible."