Carol Williams, a mother of four and a nurse, told the Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 Board of Education that Heritage Grove Middle School failed to execute established lockdown procedures during incidents on consecutive days and asked the district for an immediate, districtwide review and retraining of staff. "If a lockdown is triggered, then it's an active threat until proven otherwise," Williams said during public comment.
Williams said her daughter was in the lunchroom when the lockdown was triggered and that students were told to remain at their tables and continue eating until staff "figure it out." She said doors were closed but not barricaded, lights were not turned off, students were not asked to become less visible, and some students panicked and cried. Williams said students who tried to hide were sent back to tables.
Williams told the board she spoke with interim principal Konstantin Karakotakis, and that he "confirmed safety protocols were not followed and that he himself did not know the proper procedure." She asked for a districtwide review of lockdown procedures, mandatory retraining of school personnel, clearer communication to parents after each event, opportunities for parent input on process improvements, and an audit of alarm systems.
District officials responded during the meeting that they would investigate the concerns raised and follow up with the speakers through the contact information provided. The board representative said some corrective steps were already in process and that staff would report back to the parents the next day.
The public comments took place during the meeting's public-comment period; no formal board action or vote on policy or personnel resulted from the remarks. The record shows the board accepted the public comments and directed staff to investigate and follow up with the speakers.
Parents and community members seeking more information were advised during the meeting to await follow-up communications from district staff.