Highland Park H.S. set to welcome students back, 6 weeks after July 4th parade massacre
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Only six weeks ago, their school was transformed into a lost and found, after paradegoers ran for their lives during the mass shooting at the 4th of July parade in Highland Park.
On Wednesday, students will walk through those same doors to begin a 2022 school year that is anything but normal, as school officials work to ease the minds of parents, students, and teachers.
Township High School District 113 Supt. Bruce Law said, in light of this summer, security is a major concern from parents and students at Highland Park High School.
Now every student will have their ID checked upon entry as they walk through the door.
But the district is planning for everyone – those still struggling, and those who seem fine – meeting the students where they are as they are welcomed back to school.
"We've been preparing for August 17th since July 4th, really," Law said.
The day after the Highland Park parade shooting, Highland Park High School staff opened the doors; first for students and staff, and then the entire community -- for counseling, legal services, and eventually as the spot where families would go to pick up their belongs left behind at the parade. Law camped out at the school.
"I was there. I've never seen looks on people's faces like that," Law said.
On Wednesday, Law will open those same doors back to students and staff, after a summer no one expected. He's confident the district is ready to meet students where they are, as they face a new chapter.
"I think every superintendent has this in the back of their mind; that this could happen in their community, that this could happen in their school," he said.
Law said District 113 staff have been at Highland Park High School and Deerfield High School for days preparing for the new school year. They've also created a new full-time position – director of recovery – in response to the shooting.
It's a position Law said schools shouldn't need.
"We have to stop accepting these shootings as normal," he said.
With one day left of summer, Stephanie Diaz said there are nerves to start her junior year at Highland Park High School. Thinking about walking through those doors gives her chills.
"Physically, it can definitely be nerve-wracking for some people," Diaz said.
Her mom was at the parade, working, and was forced to run when the gunman opened fire on the crowd, killing 7 people and wounding at least 48 more.
"My mom obviously still has nightmares," Diaz said.
But Diaz feels ready to fuel her sadness and anger into change, and said being back together will be good for her and her classmates.
"I just hope that we can turn school into a happy place," she said.
Law said a lot of responsibility falls on schools for mass shootings, when those resources could be going elsewhere.
"I don't know much money and time we spend on trying to make our schools secure from shootings, but it certainly is time and resources we're diverting away from other things we could be doing," he said.
Changes at Highland Park High School will include meeting the emotional needs of students, meaning extra counselors, and teachers trained in creating safe spaces. This week, students will have a first period to decompress and share if they want to.
