This week I had planned to write about the Thornton Quarry and my cockamamie idea that someday – probably not in my lifetime – it would become something like a national park for our part of the world. I was fortunate enough to take a tour of the part of the quarry last week and I truly believe that all of us should be able to see it up close. Again, “someday” is the operative word.
But I’ve got to put that idea on hold for a while longer.
Instead I’m thinking of the eighth graders at Parker Junior High who will be graduating next Thursday, June 4. Congratulations as you move onto the next part of your educational career. You are fortunate to have attended the schools in Flossmoor School District 161, which continues to provide exceptional educational opportunities. My three sons attended the District 161 schools — the youngest graduated in 2005 — and I have never regretted that experience.
It is truly unfortunate to think that a fight at Parker following dismissal last Wednesday could overshadow the accomplishments of this year’s graduating class. The H-F Chronicle posted a story on the fight – I am the guy who wrote it – and other Chicago-area media outlets also covered the incident and showed a video of the altercation.
This is hard stuff and, to be honest, the type of story I do not particularly like to write. The reaction by our audience was stunning; our online metrics showed a readership far greater than most stories we post. There were a number of comments on our Facebook site. Clearly, the story touched a nerve.
That’s not hard to understand. As parents, we always want to know that our children are safe at school. When a child is attacked on school property – and, based on a Flossmoor police report, that was what our story said happened – it raises serious questions about our kids’ safety.
The Chronicle’s story also stated that the boy who was attacked was taken to Christ Advocate Medical Center in Oak Lawn after a CT scan indicated he might have bleeding in his brain. Police said they planned to talk to the boy, who was expected to be held for observation at the hospital for a few days. Police learned about the incident from the boy’s mother on Wednesday night and it appears that she provided the bulk of the information to police about the incident.
Later Friday afternoon, District 161 released a letter to parents about the incident; it was signed by Superintendent Craig Doster and Parker Principal Lynn Westerlund. The letter says the incident was a fight between two boys; earlier that day, they had engaged in a “verbal conflict,” the letter states. Both boys are referred to as “combatants.” District 161 is working closely with the families and local authorities “to bring this situation to an appropriate resolution,” the administrators say.
On Saturday, I saw the video of the altercation, presumably shot by another student with a mobile phone. It is not very long, less than 30 seconds, and shows one boy charging another youngster, knocking him down, sitting on top of him and repeatedly punching him. As fights go, this one is extremely one-sided. Rocky versus Apollo Creed this definitely ain’t. Sorry, but the video shows me only one “combatant.”
Remember, I am the guy who wrote “attack” and “assailant” in the Chronicle story. Based on that video, I stand by those words.
By Sunday, a story on the fight, with the video, was posted on the homepage of the Chicago area’s largest newspaper. So the story is reaching an audience far beyond our H-F towns.
The fact is, these are juveniles and we will probably never know what happens to both of these boys. Any action by the school district will be carried out in the strictest confidence and the same will be true if the police department pursues the case and sends its findings to the juvenile court system. These are children and their rights need to be protected.
But the case raises questions that I think need to be answered. I wonder why the school district waited two days before making a statement. And why didn’t the school district notify the police that the incident had taken place? Parker is literally across the street from the Flossmoor police station. Someone standing in the village hall parking lot might have seen the fight in progress. A call to the police might be warranted if a child is hospitalized.
Most of all, I think this case shows that we care deeply about our children and want them to be safe. An incident like this raises questions about their security.
We don’t always know what we want. But we know what we don’t want.
And this is it.