Residents and a store manager ask District 51 to secure Long Family Memorial Park at Central High School boundary

At a Board of Education meeting, four members of the public urged district officials to install a taller, more secure barrier between Central High School and the adjacent Long Family Memorial Park, saying the existing 6-foot chain-link fence and foot gates have been repeatedly bypassed.

Speakers described repeated trespassing, disruptive behavior near picnic shelters and playgrounds, and safety concerns for both park users and students. A nearby store manager said high volumes of students crossing into his parking lot during lunch create safety and customer-service problems.

Debbie Ferguson, a parent and grandparent with children in the district, said she had emailed the board about a family incident and asked to be included in discussions about safety policy changes: "I'd like to be part of the change," she said, pressing for greater teacher and staff responsibility and clearer safety measures.

PJ Clark and Anna Elliott described Long Family Memorial Park as a 40-acre facility with multiple courts, fields, shelters, a 1.5-acre pond and playgrounds, and said the south gates are posted to be locked during school hours but are nevertheless frequently used by students to access park shelters adjacent to the school. Elliott showed photos and video she said documented students climbing over the fence and instances of vandalism and explosive items left on roofs. Elliott told the board the district's $65'$68 million capital-improvement budget for Central High School did not list a barrier at the school'park boundary and urged the board to invest in a taller, nonclimbable fence or other deterrent.

Israel Andrade, store manager of the Walmart Neighborhood Market located across from Central High School, told the board he has observed hundreds of students moving across to the park at lunch and said his staff sometimes has to pause work to ensure student safety in the store and adjacent parking lot. He said he has contacted school administrators about lunchtime disruptions and requested district help to reduce safety risks.

Speakers requested solutions ranging from a higher, non-climbable chain-link fence with no gates to vegetative deterrents and increased enforcement; one speaker suggested a solid wall would invite graffiti and recommended a tall, plain barrier instead. Park users and presenters said the county received the 40-acre donation from Dr. William Long, and that the park has multimillion-dollar amenities used for community events, sports and everyday recreation.

Board members did not take any immediate formal action at the meeting; staff and board members thanked the commenters and asked for contact information to follow up. The meeting record shows the board acknowledged the concerns and requested follow-up, but no motion to modify school grounds or county park infrastructure was presented or voted on at that session.