Morton West’s Response To Firearm Threat Reveals Student Concerns
Illustration by Ivan Salazar
By Jorge Martinez
Josh Skerrett and his class were told to keep swimming. The day started like any other— cold water and the taste of chlorine early in the morning— but quickly turned sour. Skerret knew something was off when his teacher instructed his class to stay put.
“My phone was blowing up because our teacher didn’t tell us anything. My mom was calling and a lot of people were scared,” Skerrett said.
On December 9, 2022, Skerrett was the lifeguard for his second-period P.E. swim class at Morton West High School when students were told they could not leave. He was able to access his phone an hour later and discovered the overwhelming messages on the events unfolding around him. The school had been placed under a soft lockdown that lasted approximately two-and-half hours.
School resources officers were informed that a student brought a handgun into the building and security protocols were activated. At least two students were charged with possession of a firearm on school property. Police officers began searching classrooms and personal belongings, leading to multiple students being placed under custody.
The lockdown shed light on ongoing issues that students have raised at Morton schools, most notably the increased demand for safety at school.
School Safety
Illustration by Ivan Salazar
Back in December, frustrated at the lack of action to keep their school safe, Skerrett joined a group of students demanding change. A member of this group is Diego Helms, a Morton West student who posted an online petition with over 2,000 signatures. Another student circulated a survey asking students what safety means to them.
In response to the soft lockdown, district administration held a community meeting two weeks later to discuss school safety. Attendees were separated into small groups and were asked to identify areas of strength and areas of improvement in school safety.
While some parents advocated for metal detectors to be used at schools, others questioned whether other resources were needed instead.
One parent emailed Cicero Independiente saying that the meeting summaries shared to parents via email after the meeting were “cherry-picked.” She noted comments raised by parents about hiring more security officials were missing.
“Parents' concerns about the attitude of security guards are not in the document, yet it was in our group's notes and came up multiple times in the discussion,” the parent wrote in an email.
The district shared photographs of the various posters the parents used to voice their concerns. Many of the statements on those posters are in regard to school security. Upon closer inspection, there are multiple entries on school security that are omitted from the summary sheet.
Morton West has the most school resource officers in the entire district, accounting for more than half of all active officers. With 20 active officers, Morton West has more school security than Morton East and the Morton Alternative School combined per a FOIA request filed by Cicero Independiente.
New Changes at Morton
Illustration by Ivan Salazar
District administration first responded to parents’ demands for increased security by implementing metal detectors on two separate days, one in January and another in early February. Students reported the metal detectors proved to be disruptive, causing long lines to form that curved down the entire block.
As of April, a receptionist at the Morton West Principal’s office confirmed metal detectors continue to be used. However, they rotate which entrance they are placed at. Metal detectors will be used on a permanent basis next year.
Morton West also launched a clear backpack initiative that sought to incentivize students to wear backpacks made of transparent material. Students were able to pick up a transparent backpack at no cost at their main office.
However, a receptionist at the Morton West Principal’s office confirmed that not many students are using clear backpacks.
The incentive is “immunity from being searched” but Morton students still report feelings of discomfort with their belongings being searched, according to Skerrett.
“Research suggests that students, especially Black and Latinx students, feel less safe in school environments that employ these measures,” said Zindy Marquez, director of communications for the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights (CLCCR), on the topic of metal detectors and clear backpacks.
Marquez said the CLCCR condemns public humiliation tactics used by school resource officers, stating that such moves are “counterproductive and even destructive” for students. The organization stressed the importance of implementing policies that prioritize the physical and emotional well-being of students.
Illinois students don’t always have the expectation of privacy, according to Marquez, in certain school-owned properties such as lockers or parking lots. Students are reminded of their fifth amendment right to remain silent.
STUDENT INTIMIDATION
Illustration by Ivan Salazar
When reporting for this story, Cicero Independiente heard from several students that administration has discouraged them from speaking up.
“They were worried how it would affect their image. It upset me and it upset Diego too. We wanted to speak up,” Skerrett said.
Skerrett said that many students fear repercussions from administrators when speaking out against Morton.
Cicero Independiente has talked to multiple students for comment, and many have responded with apprehension about speaking to the press. A few Make Morton Safe group members said they were told by administrators to not speak to Cicero Independiente.
The Morton Student and Parent Handbook states that students “...may be disciplined for creating and/or distributing written or electronic material, including Internet material and blogs, that causes substantial disruption to school operations or interferes with the rights of other students or staff members.”
Such policies allow for the restriction of student speech when it would “substantially disrupt” a school community, according Marquez. However, whether such instructions by administrators are “legal” is subject to the court’s interpretation.
This is not the first time administrators have tried to keep a positive narrative regarding the soft lockdown.
Reynaldo Camas, a Morton East student representative for the Board of Education, said that at the December 14 board meeting, a board member instructed him for the first and only time to speak positively about the district’s response to the firearm threat.
The board member, whom Camas did not identify, gave instructions to Camas to speak with his peers and say the district is trying to listen to the community’s concerns.
“In my opinion, that is not something they should be telling me to say. If they are actually taking action, parents and students would realize that they are actually doing something,” Camas said.
Despite these potential repercussions, Skerrett says the safety of his fellow students is more important than getting into trouble.
“I’m asking Morton to do something they wouldn’t do otherwise. They would never have implemented [metal detectors] if it wasn’t for public outrage. They really could have not cared less because they have a history of not caring less about their students,” Skerrett said.
Jorge Martinez is a freelance community reporter.
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