Glenbard West Faces Allegations of a Violent Threat

In the afternoon of Thursday, April 28th, a disturbing video came to the attention of the students at Glenbard West High School. This vlog, or video blog, detailed a violent threat that was to be carried out the following day. The video was passed to members of the West staff, who quickly took action to keep the school safe.

When asked whether the threat of violence was a rumor or confirmed, Glenbard West principal Dr. Monaghan stated that the West administration “[does] not think that [the threat] had any foundation in reality or legitimacy, but we treat any kind of threat a student makes towards our students and staff seriously in terms of discipline and getting law enforcement involved.”

Dr. Monaghan was quick to emphasize that the threat was not substantiated, but there was an increased security detail at school today.

“Really, the [increased law enforcement] was just to make sure that our students understood the severity of any kind of threat, […] and also to make our parents feel better” he explained.

Several Glen Ellyn police officers were stationed by the building’s entrances throughout the day, which made many students feel more at ease after the events of the previous evening.

“The presence of the police officers made me feel more safe and protected,” said senior Claire Morawski.

While thankfully none of the actions that were threatened came to pass, this incident made many students, parents, and faculty think more critically about their safety and the safety of their peers.

“After the isolated incidences [of violence] that have happened across the country in the past, […] students and parents really take safety seriously, and so any sort of threat that undermines that concept is a big deal” Dr. Monaghan affirmed.

Glenbard West has taken several measures to assure that the safety of its students is always the top priority. Due to its open campus, security measures throughout the premises of the school have been a challenge, but the administration has had “several different security companies come and assess [the] campus and explain how [the administration] needs to look at [campus security]” Dr. Monaghan explained. “With 300 to 400 kids moving from Biester to the main building every period, […] we use people power, the power of observation, to keep our students safe.”

Students and faculty are also drilled all year long to prepare for emergency situations, including violent intruders.

“We have a crisis intervention handbook for pretty much any kind of threat you can imagine” said Dr. Monaghan. “We prepare for every type of scenario. We involve our police and train our coaches and all of our support staff members on how to handle those types of situations.”

In this situation, however, the students were the first line of defense. Over the intercom today, Dr Monaghan commended the students of Glenbard West for their commitment to the safety of the student body, saying that these Hilltoppers are truly following the West Way.

Below is a link to Glenbard West’s evacuation procedures in the event of a lockdown or a violent intruder. Please take the time to view this video in order to keep yourself and others safe.

https://youtu.be/zXB2MbtSnoc