Parents are demanding answers from school officials on what they call “another security failure” after video recording devices were found inside bathrooms at Edgewood Middle School and Highland Park High School.
The City of Highland Park, North Shore School District 112 and Township High School District 113 said in a joint statement on Tuesday that they are working to respond to “troubling incidents” where adults and juveniles were victims of unlawful recordings at both schools.
Police were notified after a staff member discovered a suspicious electronic device in a restroom at Highland Park High School.
It was also determined that there was evidence of prior recording in a restroom at Edgewood Middle School.
A juvenile student was identified as the suspect responsible for placing a recording device or mobile phone in restrooms at both schools.
Parents made public comments during District 113’s board meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, just hours after officials issued the statement.
“Congratulations. You reached a new low today,” Suzanne Wahl, one of the founding members of the group Parents for Securing Our Schools (Parents SOS), told District 113 officials.
“Now my daughter is potentially being filmed in the bathroom at high school,” Wahl said.
Wahl suspects that the student allegedly responsible for placing the recording devices used tools to install them, which could have been prevented if weapons detection systems, like metal detectors, were properly used.
“If only there were devices to detect things like tools, vapes, knives, guns and keep them out of school. If only,” Wahl said sarcastically.
Parents SOS has been fighting for metal detectors to be used at Highland Park High School after a student brought a gun to the school in April 2023.
Wahl said her daughter was on the floor for around two hours while the building was on lockdown.
In May 2023, school officials surveyed parents, students and staff and found that 77% of them were in favor of implementing a weapons detection system.
In August 2023, the school board approved an initial rollout of a weapons detection system, among other safety times that were also approved, at Deerfield and Highland Park high schools starting in the new school year.
The rollout was expedited after 16-year-old Omar Diaz, who was a student at Highland Park High School, was shot and killed in front of a home just days prior.
“We fought hard. We worked our butts off to get those metal detectors into school. It was like a full-time job,” Wahl said at the Tuesday board meeting.
However, the weapons detection system was first installed at only one entrance of the high school.
Wahl said an email was sent on January 28 stating that metal detectors would now be used at every entrance of the high school, but her daughter said that “she hasn’t seen a metal detector used since it’s been warm out.”
“Make it happen! What more is it going to take? Does someone have to die? Who has to die? Is there a sign-up sheet? Wahl said.
“This is unacceptable. Why are our kids not protected from knives, guns, vapes, and now hidden cameras in the restrooms?” Wahl said.
“Is there footage of my daughter out there? What if it were your child?” Wahl asked the board.
Wahl called on District 113 Superintendent Dr. Chala Holland to make school safety “the” priority, not “a” priority.
“Do your goddamn job!” Wahl said at the end of her comment.
Enrique Perez, who is also part of Parents SOS, said his son and daughter do not feel safe at Highland Park High School.
Perez said his two kids “had the chance of having their privacy violated in a very severe way that no kid, no adult, anybody should have to have.”
“This should not have ever happened,” the father added.
Perez said that he’s also upset the high school has not been fully secured since the April 2023 lockdown.
He said that he has seen uninstalled metal detectors propped up against walls when he would visit the school for evening events.
“What good are they? What good were they? You have zero security in the evening events and you have random security during the day,” Perez said.
Even with the addition of canines specialized in sniffing out explosives and firearms, Perez said he has received reports that students are texting each other about the dogs’ whereabouts in order to avoid them, similar to what he said happened when the school only had metal detectors at one entrance.
“What about the students and staff that are not being checked at the other two entrances or that come in through other ways?” Perez said. “Random chance of stopping a bad event – that’s not 100%, the bad person has to only succeed once.”
Perez demanded answers on whether there were any warning signs about the alleged student responsible for placing the recording devices.
“Was this student exhibiting any kind of bad behavior or any tell-tale signs like so many kids that lose it, everybody from a shooter to somebody who tries something like this?” Perez asked.
Perez called on the board to “do a better job” and demanded security at every entrance of the school at every hour, including during evening events.
Parents SOS said in a statement, “This underscores the fact that Highland Park High School has no consistent, reliable security measures to prevent dangerous (and potentially deadly) items from entering the school.”
The group of parents is also demanding answers on why security understaffing issues are not being addressed and why they say security staff at District 113 are paid less than at neighboring districts.
They raised questions about how long the district knew about the unlawful recordings before taking action, how many students were victims and what the extent of image distribution is.
In the joint statement by city and school officials on Tuesday, officials said they are “confident” that the photo and video recording has stopped, but Parents SOS is also raising questions about how the district can completely assure parents there are no more unlawful recordings.
Administrators representing both districts continue to work closely with the Highland Park Police Department to identify and notify students and staff who may have been victims of the recordings.
“We recognize that this situation is very concerning and will raise many questions,” the statement said, adding that due to the active investigation of the juvenile matter, officials are limited in what they can share regarding its progress.
“However, we want to assure you that we are closely collaborating to facilitate law enforcement’s investigation and support all those impacted,” officials added.
The school districts said that supporting the school communities and ensuring students and staff feel safe at school is a “top priority.”
The schools said they are taking steps to provide counseling and mental health resources and enhance safeguarding practices.
School building personnel have completed searches of bathrooms at all campus schools in Districts 112 and 113 to ensure there are no other recording devices.
“Our respective safety & facilities personnel are continuing to review building safety practices for opportunities to increase monitoring of sensitive spaces while respecting the privacy of students and staff,” officials said.
Districts 112 and 113 are also conducting Title IX investigations into the matter.