Parent says daughter was attacked at Oak Park school; board pledges to investigate

Rhonda Cowart told the Oak Park Board of Education on March 10 that her daughter was attacked at school "last Wednesday" and that security did not help her family during or after the incident. Cowart said police ultimately came to the scene and apologized, and that the principal later offered an apology as well.

Cowart described walking into the building to find her daughter being confronted and said she could not get to her car because other parents and relatives had gathered outside. "I walked in the school building. Yeah. I sat down. Another parent walked in, security guard, Nova, who bothering my niece cussing to the top of her lungs," Cowart said. She said security did not protect the family and that no one from school leadership had called her after the episode.

The allegation prompted a brief response from a board member during the meeting. "We've got you. We'll look into the issue," the board member said, adding that the board could not respond at length during public comment but would follow up through the district's communication channels.

Cowart told trustees she had raised concerns about bullying and safety at the school previously and asked the board to take action so other families would not face similar incidents. She said her daughter was frightened and had a nosebleed after the episode.

The board did not take immediate public action at the meeting. Trustees asked staff to handle communications after the session; the board indicated it would review the incident and respond through appropriate administrative channels rather than in open comment.

As of the end of the public-comment period, trustees said only that they would investigate and could not provide an on-the-spot response at the microphone. The district did not provide additional details about discipline, investigation status, or any security staffing changes during the March 10 meeting.