Journal & Topics Media Group

Parent Calls For Resource Officer At Grove


Elk Grove Township Community Consolidated School Dist. 59’s Grove Junior HIgh in Elk Grove VIllage.(Dist. 59 photo)

A parent discussed an altercation between her sixth grade son and three other boys at Grove Junior High in late August at Monday’s (Sept. 24) Dist. 59 school board meeting, proposing the district assign a full-time police school resource to the school.

The parent of the sixth grader told school board members that after school Monday, Aug. 27, her son stepped in to defend two younger boys against a group of three older boys from being bullied. She said the group of three then turned on her son, producing a bike chain and baseball bat during the altercation, striking his bicycle and choking the sixth grader. She said the school nurse later treated her son for minor injuries. The parent referred to the group as the “BMX Gang.”

Elk Grove Village Police Chief Chuck Walsh confirmed the incident, saying a police report was filed Tuesday, Aug. 28. Police youth division officers then investigated the incident. They identified the three boys and met with school officials.

Walsh took issue with calling the three boys a gang. He, and Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson, said the possibility of street gangs coming into the village is one police take very seriously. Johnson said the three youths know each other and ride bicycles. Walsh and Johnson both said the boys would, in no way, be considered a gang by police.

Elk Grove Village Police Chief Chuck Walsh.

Walsh said the altercation began with an exchange of words when the sixth grader stepped in on behalf of the two younger students. Words were exchanged before the altercation escalated. Walsh confirmed a bike chain and bat were produced during the altercation, but said the sixth grader did not appear to have been struck by them.

Although charges of battery were prepared, Walsh said, after police youth officers met with Grove school officials, internal student discipline was opted for, rather than formal charges.

Walsh said he is aware the parents of the sixth grader disagreed with opting for school disciplinary measures over filing criminal charges. He said there have been no reported incidents since the Aug. 27 altercation.

In making her statement to school board members Monday, the parent asked that a full-time police school resource officer be placed at Grove, something Dist. 59 would need to pay Elk Grove Village for.

Johnson said a school resource officer was recently requested for Mead Junior High by officials with Schaumburg Dist. 54. Johnson said in the interests of seeing equity in police resources to the school, village officials contacted Dist. 59 officials to see if they were interested in also having a school resource officer.

While Dist. 59 Supt. Art Fessler said he could not discuss the reported altercation, on the police resource officer he said school board members have only had preliminary discussions on the topics. He said one full-time school resource officer could cost in excess of $100,000.

Walsh confirmed police charge school district $12,910 per month to staff a school with a full time resource officer. Based on a nine-month school year, that comes to $116,195.

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