The father of a Deer Path Middle School student said his sixth-grade son was attacked by other students earlier this month and is criticizing Lake Forest District 67’s initial response as inadequate.
Speaking at the April 21 District 67 school board meeting, the father — his voice breaking at times — said the incident occurred April 14 in a school hallway as his son was walking between classes.
The father said a group of students attacked his son, dragged him into a bathroom, and pulled a sweater over his head. He said three other students intervened to help.
He said he believes the administration should have done more in the immediate aftermath.
“The district’s initial response was wholly inadequate,” the father told the board, drawing support from audience members.
He urged the board to investigate how administrators handled the situation and whether there is a broader pattern of bullying and violence at the school.
“Based on what I am hearing from other families in this community, what happened to my son is not an isolated failure,” he said.
Several attendees echoed those concerns during the meeting. The father declined interview requests afterward.
Lake Forest Police Chief John Burke said after the meeting that the department is investigating the incident.
District 67 spokeswoman Melissa Oakley said Monday that the investigation is ongoing.
“We continue to monitor,” she wrote. “Consequences and interventions are ongoing.”
Citing student privacy laws and the potential for litigation, district officials declined to comment on specific details. However, school board President Mark Remus referenced an “incident” in a statement read during the April 21 meeting.
“We as a board are appalled and disheartened by an act of violence that happened last week,” Remus said. “We share the community’s concerns. Safety is of paramount importance to the board, and we take incidents like this very seriously.”
Remus added that the board supports the strongest appropriate disciplinary action.
“Violence has no place in our schools and will not be tolerated,” he said.
In a letter to families the following day, Superintendent Matthew Montgomery said the district is reviewing the incident and its procedures.
In an April 24 message, Deer Path principals Michelle Shinn and Sam Paulsen said the school would take several steps in response, including staff meetings, a building-wide message reinforcing expectations for behavior, expanded student support and counseling, and continued emphasis on “restorative practices … and helping students learn from their choices.”
School officials first notified sixth-grade families about the incident in an April 21 message. The district maintains an anti-bullying policy outlined in its student handbook.
Deer Path serves students in grades five through eight.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
