Naperville board drafts rules for student, police interactions
Draft agreement comes 3 years after teen took own life
Three years after their son’s death, the parents of Naperville teen who killed himself shortly after being questioned by police in a high school dean’s office appealed to the Naperville District 203 School Board for defined protocols to prevent a similar incident from occurring.
Maureen and Douglas Walgren could see results as early as Feb. 3 when Superintendent Dan Bridges said administrators expect to present a first draft agreement with the Naperville Police Department that will outline procedures school staff and police will follow when it comes to potential criminal offenses committed by students.
Bridges said no action would be taken that night. A vote on the final agreement would come after the board and public have time to review it.
Maureen Walgren spoke to the board this week on behalf of Corey’s Goal, a nonprofit organization she started with her husband to raise awareness of the constitutional rights of minors in school settings and improve education on how disciplinary practices in schools can better support the emotional well-being of students.
Walgren urged the board to adopt an agreement known as a memorandum of understanding that would serve as the guiding document for the district’s school resource officer program.
“I’m here today to talk about ways we can improve the disciplinary process at Naperville North so that what happened to my son on 1-11-17 does not happen again,” Walgren said. “If protocols were followed that day that ended with the death of a student, then it’s all of our responsibilities to evaluate those protocols to ensure best practices are being followed.”
Three years ago Corey Walgren, 16, slipped out of Naperville North High School and plummeted from the top of a municipal parking garage after being interrogated by an officer assigned to the campus. Authorities had accused the teen of possessing child pornography — a felony that can lead to placement on the state’s sex offender registry — though records show authorities later determined there were no illegal images on the phone.
Walgren said a structured agreement would help define the school resource officer selection process, the training required, to whom officers report and how they will address safety concerns. She also said the document also would formalize when parents will be called and how officers handle criminal activity at school.
If a dean determines legal or criminal issues are involved, the dean should follow the new law and call the parents before bringing in police, she said.
“I’d like to see it stated that (school resource officers) are not to be in the room during questioning by deans, unless they are needed to help keep a violent student from hurting themselves or others,” Walgren said.
“There are many reasons why a police officer should not be in the room. A minor child can be very intimidated and unnecessarily scared by the presence of a police officer, especially of legal terms are being used,” she said.
Walgren said students often feel threatened, ashamed and fearful simply because an officer has legal authority that comes with severe consequences. The same words used by a dean are much less threatening, she added.
Additionally, minor children who are in legal trouble should be closely monitored and supported after such questioning to ensure their safety, she said.
“We know that no one intended for Corey to die that day,” Walgren said. “It is all of our responsibility to ensure the safety of our students.”
Seven Naperville police officers are assigned to work in District 203 schools.