Security officials at Whitney Young High School in Chicago confiscated a gun Monday morning during a routine entry screening at the school, NBC-5 Chicago reports. The gun never got into the building, according to news reports, and one person was taken into custody, according to ABC-7 News.
Whitney Young Magnet High School (Eric Allix Rogers/Flickr Creative Commons)“No threats were made and no students or staff members were physically injured as a result of this situation,” Principal Rickey Harris wrote in a letter sent to school families, which read in full, according to WGN-TV:
Safety is always my top priority, which is why I am writing to notify you of a situation that occurred earlier today. This morning, a gun was identified during our standard entry screening. The gun was immediately secured and did not proceed further into the building. We also notified the CPS Office of Safety and Security and the Chicago Police Department (CPD) for support.. No threats were made and no students or staff members were physically injured as a result of this situation. Just to be clear, there appears to be no indicated threat towards anyone in our school community. While I cannot provide further details for privacy reasons, I can share that we are handling this matter in accordance with CPS policies, and CPD will provide our school with additional safety support at today’s dismissal at 3:15pm.
Please know that we take situations like this seriously to ensure the safety of our school community. If your child voices any fears or concerns about this, please let us know so we can ensure their social-emotional needs are met. I especially want to commend our Whitney Young Security Team for their quick action during this incident. Thank you for your partnership in helping us provide all students with a safe and welcoming school environment.
The incident at Whitney Young comes as Chicago Public Schools opened its new year Monday under both optimism and strain, the Chicago Tribune observed. District officials highlighted progress in reducing teacher vacancies, reporting the lowest rate in recent history at 2.46%. They also celebrated that, for the first time in more than a decade, a majority of new teachers are Black or Latino.
But the year also begins against a backdrop of deep financial stress. The Tribune reports that CPS is navigating a gaping shortfall even after ratifying a $1.5 billion teachers contract this spring. Interim CEO Macquline King, under pressure from Mayor Brandon Johnson to borrow, has instead proposed a $10.2 billion budget that trims costs wherever possible.
Those cuts, the Tribune notes, are already felt in everyday ways. At Everett Elementary on the Southwest Side, for example, families arriving on Monday found no crossing guard in a neon vest. Instead, a security guard, Victor Juarez, stood at the curb, greeting students and shaking his head as one little boy dashed past him late. Juarez admitted Everett never had a guard at that corner before, but he pointed across the street where one used to direct morning traffic. “We need them,” he said.
