Superintendent decries ‘misleading’ claims related to recording-device investigation

Township High School District 113’s top administrator denounced what she described as “misleading and false information” that was presented during the public comment portion of the board of education’s February meeting that almost immediately followed the announcement of “serious incidents” at two local schools.

Superintendent Dr. Chala Holland rebuked public comments made by Highland Park resident and advocate Suzanne Wahl during the board’s Feb. 11 committee of the whole session. The meeting where Wahl addressed school board members occurred only hours after Highland Park city and school officials announced they were investigating “unlawful” recordings in bathrooms at Edgewood Middle School and Highland Park High School, as reported by The Record.

Additionally, The Record detailed in its coverage that a juvenile student was reportedly responsible for planting a video-recording device, which a school staff member discovered at HPHS.

After it was found, police investigators reportedly discovered evidence of multiple recordings that featured adults and juveniles at HPHS and Edgewood. City officials have not reported when the device was found or how far back the recordings go.

Holland addressed the community during the board’s subsequent meeting on Feb. 25 to clarify what she called “intentional decisions to spread misinformation.”

“While I understand that there may be strong positions and sentiments around our safety and security measures that we have in place, intentional decisions to spread misinformation by making connections between unrelated events are very misleading and interfere with the board’s ability to transparently and comprehensively conduct its business,” Holland said.

The comments at the center of Holland’s rebuttal included accusations about the student and how the device was placed, blaming the high school’s protocol for its weapons detectors.

Holland, who did not directly mention either of the public commenters who spoke at the Feb. 11 meeting, said the comments were an “attempt to manipulate the message and an attempt to use the moment for a different reason: an agenda.”

“While I recognized that the reported behavior of video recording in a restroom is of great concern, it was inaccurate and inappropriate to link the misconduct with our weapons detections matters,” Holland later said, subsequently adding that “the truth is that this is a rare and unforeseeable occurrence.”

Holland also said there was “no evidence to support that a tool was brought into the building.” According to Holland, a “pencil or a device was likely used” in the incidents and this “was not something that would have been detected by a weapons detection system.”

Prefacing Holland’s remarks at the meeting was a statement made by board president Anne Neumann.

“At its core, our work as a board is about listening; hearing the thoughts and concerns of the community we serve,” Neumann said. “We value public participation and take community input seriously. At the same time, we expect that our staff, our students, fellow community members and this board will be treated with respect at all times.”

Enrique Perez, a parent with two children at Highland Park High School, also addressed the board during the Feb. 11 meeting.

Perez and Wahl previously co-founded Parents for Securing Our Schools, a local advocacy group that pressed district officials to alter and upgrade security measures at Deerfield and Highland Park high schools after a gun was brought to HPHS in 2023.

Weapons detectors were introduced at Highland Park and Deerfield high schools to begin the 2023-’24 school year, just a few months after the incident that resulted in a schoolwide lockdown and led to the public outcry and parent-led campaign to encourage more security measures.

District 113 officials announced earlier this year that it was altering its security procedures, The Record reported.

Instead of all students at one school entrance passing through the weapons detection system, students entering all school entrances — three at each high school — will be selected at random to get screened by the weapons detectors.

The District 113 school board will next meet on Tuesday, March 18.

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