October 3, 2024

Updated October 17, 2024 following release of LFPD police report details.

To Our District 67 and 115 Families:

Last night, some members of our community received a sensationalized and inaccurate mass communication about an arrest at the Lake Forest Recreation Center on September 13. Today, those same community members received another message, which is also not entirely accurate.

As the Director of Safety and Security for schools, I want to provide factual information on the incident. Here are the facts:

This incident did not occur on school grounds and was not associated with our students.
On September 13, 2024, a community book fair was held at the Lake Forest Recreation Center.
A vigilant parent in our community recognized an individual at the Rec Center who is listed on the Illinois sex offender registry and promptly reported his presence to the Lake Forest Police Department, requesting his removal from the event. The police department responded immediately.
Officers confirmed the individual’s identity and presence on the sex offender registry. An arrest was made, and the individual was removed.
The department shared that they were able to arrest the individual because, after measuring his location, they found that he was seated within the 500-foot limit of the DPM parking lot, which backs up to the Rec Center.
The quick action of the LFPD and their concern for the safety of our children are commendable.

To be clear, because this incident did not take place on school property and did not involve our students, we were not made aware of the incident until yesterday. Our protocol is to communicate to families as soon as possible if a safety issue involves their child or one of our schools; this incident did not.

We all share a role in our children’s safety. We say it often, but it bears repeating. When you see something, say something. This happened exactly as it should on September 13, and as a result, the Lake Forest Police Department swiftly handled the issue.

We appreciate the LFPD's collaboration and ask community members to contact them directly with questions. Thank you for your continued partnership in keeping our school community safe.

Sincerely,

Chuck Walsh

Director of Safety and Security