CUDAHY — Parents are demanding the Cudahy School Board to address bullying concerns following an incident where police say a 12-year-old student brought a gun to Lincoln Elementary School.
"I really need you guys to take it seriously and address what's happening,” Cudahy parent, Barbara Jones said.
Parents and supporters gathered outside of Cudahy Middle School Monday evening to protest the district. Many of them raising concerns about bullying within the district.
“Let’s advocate for our youth,” concerned parent, Jason Kuechenmeister said.
He was one of many parents who spoke during public comment at the school board meeting Monday night following the protest.
This was the first meeting since the gun incident.
"At this point, I have lost all trust in Cudahy School District," parent, Savanna Baldwin said during public comment.
Baldwin is no longer staying silent about her family's experiences within the district.
"My son has been a repeated victim of bullying, harassment, and racial discrimination within the Cudahy School District," she said.
Baldwin's son was the student who alerted police about the classmate with a gun at school on April 30.
"His courage led to the discovery of the weapon and likely prevented a tragedy," Baldwin said.
Baldwin has now taken her son out of the school district, and said he will not be returning. She is advocating for all of the other students in Cudahy.
"We want them to take accountability, we want them to speak the truth, we want them to make changes, so that other students don't have to deal with the same things," Baldwin said.
Kuechenmeister said his son was a victim of bullying as well.
WATCH: Parents demand action on bullying after gun found at Cudahy elementary school
"We're not staying silent," he said. "We're not allowing our youth to be bullied."
Kuechenmeister expressed concern about how the district has handled previous incidents involving bullying and how district leaders handled the gun incident.
"What happens when we're more worried about the headlines than positive change and learning from others," Kuechenmeister said.
Kuechenmeister is not only a parent in the district, but was also a parent liaison; however, he stepped down from his position Monday night.
“This resignation is far from a surrender. It’s an act of self-respect and principle. I leave with a heavy heart but with my integrity intact. We must encourage everyone to do better,” Kuechenmeister said to the board.
Meanwhile, School Board President, Kari Durr, would not let a woman who lives outside of the district speak during public comment Monday night.
“We’re going to just leave this to residents because we have quite a few who want to speak and that’s our policy,” Durr said.
However, TMJ4’s Megan Lee looked through Policy 0167.3 and it does not require Cudahy residency to speak.
The Cudahy School District released this statement Monday night:
“On April 30th, an incident occurred at Lincoln Elementary that emphasized the importance of vigilance and the shared responsibility we all have in maintaining a safe learning environment. The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priorities, and we are committed to transparency with our school community.
On April 30th, a student reported a safety concern to a teacher, which was quickly reported to Lincoln principal, Matt Orlowski. Prompt action was taken, and with the assistance of the Cudahy Police Department’s School Resource Officer, an investigation led to the discovery of a handgun on school premises. Thanks to the student’s courage and swift action, the situation was addressed immediately and safely.
School administration, in coordination with law enforcement and district officials, secured the area and removed the weapon without further incident. We believe this to be an isolated situation, and there is no ongoing threat to the safety of our students or staff.
We treated this matter with the utmost seriousness, following all of our safety protocols and practices per our District safety manual, and fully cooperated with law enforcement as they investigated the situation. In addition, as we do with any incident in which student and staff safety are a concern, we are reviewing our current safety protocols alongside our Board of Education. In the event issues are identified, we will continue to refine and strengthen security across our schools.
We thank our students, families, staff, and law enforcement partners for their continued support and vigilance. Our shared commitment to safety and open communication will continue to guide our efforts in protecting our school community.”
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