Elmwood Park students return to classroom after being remote Friday due to 'potential threat'
CHICAGO (CBS)-- Students at Elmwood Park High School are expected to be back in the classroom Monday morning after a "potential threat" caused the school to go remote Friday.
On Wednesday, teachers and support staff from Elmwood Park are expected to pack a board meeting at 7 p.m. to voice their concerns over safety at the school.
Those concerns over safety stem from a situation that unfolded on Monday of last week, when there were reports of a student found with a gun on campus.
The school didn't order a lockdown because the principal said it was not "deemed to be the safest response." The student who allegedly had the weapon was located shortly after the school learned of the potential threat about a block from the school.
He was arrested and charged that day.
CBS 2 spoke to the head of security who claimed the school improperly handled the situation, which the superintendent denies.
On Friday, student plans for a walkout were scrapped and the school went remote after the district superintendent's office said they had received a potential threat.
Statements were released Friday addressing the incidents.
The president of Elmwood Park teachers union said in a statement on Friday:
"With student and staff safety as our biggest concern, we are thankful no one was physically harmed during Monday's events. Collectively, the Elmwood Park Educational Team (EPET), Elmwood Park Custodian Association (EPCA) and the Paraprofessional and School Related Personnel (PSRP) will continue to advocate for the safety of all our staff and students, including our most vulnerable. We want to work with administration, but we insist on full transparency in order to move forward with trust and assurance. Student safety needs to be the district's priority, and it will continue to be our priority."
District Superintendent Leah Gauthier full statement read:
"Since first responding to a serious incident that occurred at Elmwood Park High school on Monday, March 6, District 401 administrators have been meeting with local law enforcement to review our handling of this matter. Following those discussions, both the Elmwood Park and River Grove Police Department affirmed that the actions taken on Monday mitigated the threat within the school.
Today, a school staff member, who had been placed on leave due to allegations of both inappropriate conduct with a student and unauthorized interference with the ongoing law enforcement investigation of Monday's incident participated in a media interview. During this interview, they made misleading statements about school administrators' handling of the matter and inappropriately discussed sensitive student information, and confidential school and police information. We regret that this individual's actions have caused further stress and concern to our school community.
We understand the passion and concerns around school safety. Moving forward, we will continue to partner with our law enforcement partners to review protocols and training to maintain and enhance the safety and security of our school buildings. This includes our decision today to transition to e-learning following our discovery of a social media threat of violence that was later deemed by law enforcement to be unfounded.
Our students are our future and our most important assets. Elmwood Park Community Unit School District 401 remains committed to providing a safe learning environment and will continue to make the safety and well-being of our students, staff and schools our top priority."
