GN Administrators Implement Safety Standards Amidst Nationwide Rise in Violent Threats

Amidst the rise in threats in high schools across the nation, Glenbard North High School continues to implement safety standards as a precaution.

Due to the recent safety issue at Glenbard North on Thursday, February 2, 2023, that involved a student making unsubstantiated threats, on-campus police officers and administration were notified promptly about the situation. Administration located the student quickly and took necessary action. Although Glenbard North did not go into a lockdown schedule, no students or staff members were harmed during the threat. 

John Mensik, Principal at Glenbard North, discussed ways the school is proactive at preventing safety issues such as identification requirements that are currently in place at GN. “About 5 or 6 years ago, we implemented a requirement at Glenbard North that all adults must wear an ID at all times when leaving their classroom,” says Mensik. “All visitors are given a lanyard and told that it must be worn at all times, and substitute teachers are also provided with a lanyard of a different color.” Mensik adds that the Glenbard North High School runs various types of safety drills during the school year to ensure that the school is a safe place to learn. 

Deb Stack, Dean at Glenbard North, discussed the process of dealing with a safety threat. Stack says, “when we receive reports of threats, whether it’s from students, staff members, parents, our first line of action is to find the student and minimize the threat and make sure that there’s nothing unsafe on that person.” Stack goes on to say how Glenbard North takes safety issues seriously and the issue is not fixed until proper action is taken. Stack adds, “from there, we determine what level the threat is and what our next steps are based on the level of the threat.” The level of threat is determined by interviews, video footage, and other miscellaneous information.

Robby Lubas, ’23, encountered a student who made a threat. The student, a senior class member, is no longer allowed on campus or any Glenbard District 87 properties. Lubas says, “this kid came up to my friends and I and he was asking me, “‘Do you wanna join my gang? We’re gonna have a whole bunch of fights. I have weapons too.’ One of my friends saw what he claimed to be a weapon and he told my friend that he was going to kill off the juniors. The deans, security guards, and police officers were all trying to find this kid.” The ex-senior class member is placed on a $15,000 bond and is no longer allowed on campus. Administrators said that Lubas did the right thing and reported the threat to the administration team at Glenbard North. 

Hailey Noll, ‘23, says she feels safe at school, “I do feel safe at school because I know there are a lot of adults and security guards ready to protect me and keep me safe. Although, the thought that something bad could happen at any time is still very scary.” Thankfully, there are procedures in place to keep students and faculty members safe at school.