WHEATON, IL — Parents are demanding change amid what one parent called a "culture of violence" at Community Unit School District 200 schools after a student was hurt in a bathroom fight in late February at Wheaton Warrenville South High School. Two students now face felony charges after the incident.
Several parents and some grandparents have reached out to Patch to share stories of children they say have been attacked unprovoked in bathrooms, students who have been shoved by other students in attacks that drew blood, and children who refuse to drink water during the day to avoid going to the bathrooms.
In the Facebook group "Our Pact-A Place for CUSD 200 Parents," one parent who has a child who attends Wheaton Warrenville South (WWS), wrote, "As many of you know there have been several safety issues at our schools this year, recently at a high school. Young people are being assaulted. Threats are being made. There is a culture of violence that seems to be brewing, and it’s time for our community to come together."
A group of parents plans to gather Wednesday outside WWS ahead of the board of education meeting to rally for the district to act on these and other safety concerns.
Related: 'Time To Act:' Fight Prompts Rally Ahead Of District 200 Meeting
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District 200 parent Amy Erkenswick, who wrote the social media post announcing the rally, told Patch, in part, in a statement, "So many of us parents have been desperate for transparent communication and accountability from district leaders and, yet again in this case, we recognize through their lack of communication the incredible mishandling of this situation."
A man who requested anonymity and has a teen son in District 200 schools told Patch his son refuses to drink liquids during the school day to avoid going to the bathroom, which other parents have told Patch is a now commonplace in the district where students fight.
He said his son been attacked by other students in locker rooms and hallways, adding that one attack drew blood.
"It’s the same thing over and over again," he said. "My concern is that it doesn’t stop, and it doesn’t appear that the playbook the administration is using is effective. The incidents continue to occur. It's time that the administration reviews the playbook and adjusts it for these situations where it's the same offending kids doing the bullying over and over."
"All we want our kids to do is to be able to be educated and feel unthreatened on the bus, in the school, and the extracurricular activities," he said.
The father said his appeals to administrators have resulted in disciplinary actions that do not "fully stop the continued harassment or appear to affect the attitudes of the offending students."
The mother whose son was attacked in the Feb. 28 fight at Wheaton Warrenville South told Patch she believes the school is "downplaying" the fight that left her son unconscious.
Related: School 'Downplaying' Fight That Hurt Son: Wheaton Warrenville Mother
"This is not just because of my son, but because this is not isolated and the way they are trying to push this under the rug is not unique to this situation with my son," she said.
Following the Feb. 28 fight, WWS principal Lorie Campos emailed parents to address what she referred to as "some behavior incidents."
Campos wrote, "Over the past couple weeks there have been a few physical altercations between students on campus," adding that the incidents were "targeted" and "there was never any threat to the rest of the students or staff at South."
She added, "Please know that we will not tolerate these behaviors under any circumstances. We will continue to work with our students to help guide them in their decision making and help them find other ways to resolve conflict."
In a subsequent email sent March 2, Campos wrote that student privacy rights prevented administration from sharing additional details about "recent physical altercations." Campos did not refer specifically to the Feb. 28 fight, but wrote, [W]e ask for your patience and that you not assume that rumors concerning student injuries are accurate."
A mother who has a daughter in District 200 schools told Patch her daughter was also attacked, unprovoked, in a school bathroom by another girl who she said had been "in several altercations previously."
"My daughter was actually attacked,"she told Patch. "She did not engage in fighting, and yet she was treated as an equal partner when it came time for discipline. The school handled the incident so terribly."
Regarding the Feb. 28 fight, she said, "What is really important to me is that everyone is made aware that the incident that just occurred was not an isolated incident, but rather it garnered attention because it was so horrific."
She said she is "horrified at the lack of safety and security at the school" her daughter attends. She added, "What they do have doesn’t seem to be utilized properly. We question what the (school resource officer) is there for."
"My daughter says they have bathroom attendants sometimes during busy times, but that the students know when they can get away with bathroom antics anyway so it doesn’t matter," the mother said.
She concluded, "What I have noticed with the staff and administrators is that they try to downplay incidents and hope they can just smooth things over with you or, in my opinion, make you feel like what they say is the bottom line and there’s not anything you can do about it."
A woman whose grandson attends District 200 schools told Patch she's heard of students who fear going to the washroom because it smells like cannabis, or they fear they will be "pushed around."
On the night of March 4, District 200 shared correspondence with parents to announce increased safety measures, per District 200 spokesperson Alyssa Barry.
On March 7, Barry told Patch the district "cannot comment on student discipline issues."
Barry had shared the following statement with Patch March 4, on behalf of District 200:
"On March 4, Last week, there was a physical altercation between students at Wheaton Warrenville South High School (WWSHS). We are deeply disappointed that this incident occurred at WWSHS and this type of behavior is not tolerated under any circumstances.While we cannot provide much more information on this incident due to the ongoing investigation and student privacy, we want to assure the community that the safety and security of students, staff and the entire school community is always our top priority. Whenever there is any safety concern, the school and District have a comprehensive assessment process that we follow to ensure we, along with local law enforcement, thoroughly investigate the situation and take necessary disciplinary and legal action.We understand that many parents and students are concerned about the safety and security at WWSHS as a result of the incident that took place last week. We will continue to respond to and work with any parents or students who have concerns or questions regarding the safety and security of our school. Please know, we have a School Resource Officer and a team of security personnel on campus on a daily basis. We will work with our security team and dean’s office to ensure we are continuing to monitor our building to keep our students and staff safe.Again, we will continue working with our parents and students to address any concerns they may have as we continue to work through the details of addressing this incident."
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