Oak Park and River Forest High School will host a community conversation about safety on Wednesday, April 12 from 6 to 8 p.m.
“There is no priority greater than the one we take on to provide a safe, welcoming, and supportive environment for your students in our charge,” wrote OPRF Superintendent Greg Johnson in an email sent to OPRF families last week inviting them to attend the event. “Providing that environment requires a partnership, and any partnership needs dialogue to thrive. In order to better understand questions and concerns, share information, and gather fact-based suggestions, we invite you to join us.”
Facilitators will be present to guide discussions.
The conversation comes after a rise in troubling student behavior led the school board to recently authorize the hiring of six additional security guards. Teachers at OPRF have also expressed concerns about safety at the school.
The invitation also comes not long after a shooter entered a private Christian school in Nashville and killed six people, three students and three staff members, before being killed by police.
The conversation is expected to address safety in all its forms and the invitation invites attendees to list their top safety concerns at OPRF.