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Dear Lyons Township High School Community:
Throughout the first several weeks of the school year, schools across our nation, including in the Chicago area, have been subjected to threats of violence. Many such threats involving students or schools originate on social media; regardless of the origin of the threat, Lyons Township High School takes all threats of violence extremely seriously. We will continue to issue clear expectations to our students regularly regarding safe behavior online (and in person) and how and when to report concerns; we also ask that our parents/guardians and families be aware of how your students are engaging with social media and have conversations with your students about the consequences of their actions online. See below for resources to learn more about school and online safety and how to talk to your students about these important and difficult topics.
It is important to note whether a threat is verbal, written or posted on social media, and includes talk of physical violence, shootings, guns, bombs or any weapons, all threats begin a critical and necessary chain of events:
- Our Assistant Principals and Administrative Team investigate any threat directly related to our school.
- Investigations could include interviews inside and outside of school along with home visits by authorities.
- The investigation will also include our School Resource Officers, who are members of the LaGrange Police Department and Western Springs Police Department, and are assigned to our campuses on site every day.
- Significant threats can also result in the involvement of the Illinois State Police, other law enforcement agencies, or the courts for both the student and/or their family.
- The LTHS Threat Assessment Teams follow a researched-based process (CSTAG) for determining if the threat of harm is to self or others, and the threat assessment team follows specific protocols for obtaining relevant information and addressing situations appropriately based on whether a threat exists and when it does, whether the threat is substantive. Outcomes may include support referrals (counseling, social work, Special Education, outside agency support), safety plans, restorative circle/conference, school discipline, and/or involvement of law enforcement.
- Any student impacted by these events has the opportunity to receive support from our counselors, psychologists and social workers.
- It is also possible that the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, or other federal agencies will alert the LaGrange PD or Western Springs PD of a threat. The FBI, along with the Department of Homeland Security, work together with the most sophisticated security intelligence available to monitor social media channels for threats to schools. Students who are caught may end up on the FBI national watchlist and being on this list could potentially limit employment options in the future.
There are important steps we all can take - students, staff, family, and friends - to identify safety threats and prevent those in our school community from harming themselves or others. We teach our students to “See Something, Say Something.” If social media posts, conversations, or other actions indicate someone may be planning to hurt themselves or others, students must reach out to a trusted adult to report what they know.
There are also steps families can take at home to help keep our school and community safe. Have conversations with students about the importance of speaking up if they are aware of safety threats. For families who own firearms, data show that keeping those firearms locked and separate from ammunition is a crucial step that can drastically reduce the opportunity for a young person to cause harm to self or others.
These resources are some of the many available for students, staff, and families to find out more information about reporting safety concerns, accessing mental health resources, safely storing firearms, and more:
As we strive to create a “See Something, Say Something” culture at LTHS, we continue to promote the messages of the Sandy Hook Foundation and youth violence prevention programs, Say Something & Start With Hello. The messages from these programs are shared through Freshman Experience Day, Assistant Principal Talks, and Welcome Week Lessons. The SAVE PROMISE CLUB continues to promote these youth violence prevention programs through facilitating a Say Something Week and Start With Hello Week at LTHS each year, which is this week (September 23-27) at LT.
The safety of our students and staff is always our top priority, and we have a comprehensive system of school safety at LTHS. To learn more, please visit our school safety website.
Thank you for your partnership as we work to support our students.
Dr. Brian Waterman, Superintendent
Lyons Township High School District 204
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