Dupage Policy Journal

Two threats last week at schools in Lombard and Hinsdale, as well as threats to schools across the region and state, have a student safety activist calling on school officials and law enforcement to step up efforts to protect children.

"Our kids are not safe at school," said Hinsdale parent Kristina McCloy, founder of Concerned Parents Illinois. 

On Sept. 9, a 14-year old Glendale Heights boy was charged by Lombard police with bringing a loaded 9 mm handgun in a boys’ bathroom at Glenbard East High School. He is being charged with one count of unlawful use of a weapon in a school (Class 3 Felony) and one count of possession of a firearm by a minor (Class 4 Felony).

On Sept. 11, Hinsdale police responded to a threat at Hinsdale Middle School involving a student who alluded to a weapon while making a threatening comment.

Alarmingly, in the last week there have been threats made at schools in dozens of communities, including: Homer Glen, Lockport, Joliet, Bolingbrook, Romeoville, Burr Ridge, St Charles, Glen Ellyn, Mount Vernon, Plainfield, Lombard, Oakbrook, Villa Grove, Clarendon Hills, Darien, Glendale Heights, Hinsdale, Itasca, Tinley Park, Elgin, Western Springs, Algonquin, Bartlett, Geneva, Decatur, Carlinville, Richton Park, Park Forest and Olympia Fields.

McCloy said schools need to have the same level of security that is given to airports, government buildings and stadiums. 

"These recent violent threats are further evidence of that," she said. "Moms and Dads should never have to worry about their sons and daughters surviving the school day. Every student, regardless of what zip code they live in should be protected from gun violence while in the classroom. I will continue to fight for our kids' safety and for parents’ peace of mind.” 

McCloy said that more safety officers need to be employed at schools.

As a parent in Hinsdale School District 181, McCloy helped promote an expanded Safety Officer Pilot Program in that district's elementary schools.

"Our children should receive the same protection that our politicians do, and the enhanced security efforts in District 181 to put more Safety Officers in our schools will provide exactly that," she said after the program was implemented last spring. 

In addition to founding Concerned Parents Illinois, a non-partisan organization that advocates for stronger families and academic excellence, McCloy is a trustee for Downers Grove Township. She currently resides in Hinsdale with her husband and two young children.

Her interest in school safety is grounded in part due a tragedy she lived through while enrolled as an undergraduate student at Northern Illinois University.

One the largest school shootings in American history occurred on the university’s DeKalb campus, resulting in 21 injuries and six deaths. Experiencing this tragedy at a young age is a significant part of the reason that McCloy says she has prioritized protecting kids in school and as a key aspect of Concerned Parents Illinois’ advocacy.