Homewood-Flossmoor principal defends letter linking students to gang activity

Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School administrators met with parents Saturday about what school leaders allege as “gang activity” linked to about 70 students.

This past week, the school’s principal, Jerry Lee Anderson, reportedly sent a letter to some parents that said, “Your child, ___ , has either directly or through association been involved in what is considered ‘gang activity.’” Anderson’s note, which was obtained from a parent, requested that the students and their parents attend Saturday’s “mandatory meeting” to learn more about the school’s allegations.

But some parents who attended the meeting later disputed the school’s accusations.

During the meeting, a photo of Arthur W. Wiggins Jr.’s son’s index finger pointing up was presented. But Wiggins said his son, who is 18, was merely imitating his idol, Golden State Warriors NBA star Stephen Curry, who often aims his index finger to the sky after landing a three-point shot.

“I cannot say enough how upsetting it is that they would call that gang activity,” said Wiggins, 51. “[The principal] was pointing out camaraderie between kids who play sports together, and that’s all it was.”

The administrator’s letter said skipping the mandatory meeting put students at risk of being “excluded” from the school.

“I don’t know any parent I spoke with who did not interpret that to be ‘expelled,’” Wiggins said.

The letter did not elaborate on what the gang behavior was but states school officials had investigated “conflicts” on- and off-campus over the last few months.

Anderson on Sunday doubled down on her decision to call the controversial meeting, insisting it was a plea to parents to “hold their child to a higher standard.”

“We have some who believe that violence is not part of what happens in the suburbs, that we are somehow immune,” she said in a statement sent to the Sun-Times. “We are not. We need informed, empowered parents to be a part of the solution.”

But Wiggins said the move was an example of over-policing by the school, which has a majority black student population and a heavily black staff.

“There are a lot of parents of black American children who attend that school who feel the black administration targets and holds black students to a higher level of accountability,” Wiggins said. “That is entirely unwarranted. It’s been a history of that.”

Eddy Lamarre said his 18-yearold son was singled out by the school, but the photo administrators apparently grabbed from social media was actually a picture of the teen posing with a trophy that his 7-on-7 football team won, he said.

“He really was surprised,” Lamarre said. “He wasn’t upset so much as he was concerned about how teachers would view him.”

At the meeting, which Lamarre described as “tense” and “spirited,” parents reportedly received a packet with their child’s entire academic and disciplinary record — down to each time the student was in trouble for swearing, he said.

Both fathers thought the meeting was executed insensitively from start to finish.

“It’s interesting because we didn’t really get to a point where we discussed resolution,” Lamarre said.

Anderson did not respond to questions about the specific matters discussed in the meetings but maintained they were needed because the administration wants to work with parents.

Flossmoor and Homewood police did not immediately respond to an inquiry about whether they were contacted about the alleged gang activity.