A suburban high school was on the offensive Tuesday night after videos showing a number of fights at the school have surfacing on social media.
The Crete Monee High School Superintendent Nathaniel Cunningham Jr. announced at Tuesday's board meeting that five students have been arrested in connection with the fights and all of the students involved have been suspended.
"It is our job to educate, not incarcerate. But we will do whatever is necessary to keep our students safe," Cunningham Jr. said.
Meanwhile, parents angry about the negative publicity the videos brought the district lashed out.
"I don't know who put the video out, but why can't you focus on some of the good things our kids are doing," one parent said.
"Schools are the foundation of real estate value. They always have been and always will be," another parent said.
Other parents called for harsher punishments for students seen in the videos.
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"You need to stop downplaying what's going on and start addressing the problems," a parent said.
"We've had students and staff injured because of the lack of consequences for unruly behavior by some students," another parent said.
The high school principal responded with a plan of action which included more supervisors in the hallways and limited hallway access for problem students.
"The past three weeks have not been shining moments in the history of Crete Monee High School," Principal Dr. James Harden said. "However, I strongly contend that we did not invent the fight."
