Police and paramedics were called to Haven Middle School in Evanston Thursday morning when a teacher was injured while trying to break up a fight in a hallway.
The school’s principal sent out emails to parents notifying them about this incident and another a week earlier involving a hall monitor during indoor recess.
“We just need to have a better system in place to help them deal with these issues a little bit better before they resort to violence,” said parent Michael Klotz.
Klotz is a former teacher at the school and resigned in January because of the problems.
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“Yesterday I had to have a conversation with both of my sons asking if they feel safe in their middle school, and they said no,” he said.
Other parents say what happened was unacceptable.
“This is middle school. This is sixth, seventh, eighth graders,” said parent Larissa Tripp. “We need to do better. We need to do better for our children, for the teachers.”
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Evanston/Skokie School District 65 released a statement to NBC 5 in which it said, “In collaboration with our district leaders and educators, the Haven team is committed to fostering a safe environment and a culture of health and wellbeing for all individuals. Our school continues to refine our crisis and safety plans and debriefs every incident to improve our response, build relationships among students, and proactively address behavioral incidents before they arise.”
Parent say they want to see more training for staff and school resource officers on campus. A district spokesperson said the school currently doesn't have any.
The principal of Haven Middle School plans to hold a virtual meeting with parents on April 20 to address their concerns.
