Student Safety Leadership Matters in District 67 and 115

With the retirement of Head of Security Chuck Walsh, Lake Forest Schools face a critical decision about the future of student safety leadership in District 67 and District 115.

This decision is not happening in a vacuum.

As widely reported, a registered sex offender was present within a school zone (Deerpath Middle School) while students were outside during the school day. Families were not notified. When the incident became public, the district’s response—led by Mr. Walsh—included statements that were later called into question and appeared inconsistent with known facts.

For many parents and taxpayers, that represented a serious failure of both judgment and trust.

Why Student Safety Leadership Must Change

The next security hire cannot simply be treated as a routine personnel decision. It is a test of whether District 67, District 115, and Superintendent Matthew Montgomery are prepared to take student safety, parent transparency, and school accountability seriously.

Mr. Walsh was hired under Superintendent Montgomery’s leadership. After an episode that left families uninformed and raised serious questions about the district’s response, the community has every right to ask: what kind of safety leadership is being selected, and why?

Lake Forest and Lake Bluff families deserve more than a security structure built around administrative alignment. They deserve a safety leader who is independent, engaged, proactive, and trusted by the community.

What the Next Hire Should Not Be

District 67 and District 115 should avoid repeating the same mistakes.

The next Head of Security should not be someone selected primarily because they are comfortable inside a bureaucracy or unlikely to challenge the administration when student safety is at stake.

Our districts should avoid candidates who:

• Are approaching the end of their careers and may lack the urgency required for a highly engaged, day-to-day school presence.

• Have spent their careers primarily advancing through bureaucracies rather than working directly in school environments with students.

• Lack meaningful, hands-on school safety experience, such as serving as a School Resource Officer or in a comparable role.

• Come from outside the community without established relationships or familiarity with Lake Forest and Lake Bluff students, families, and local dynamics.

• Prioritize chain-of-command thinking over independent judgment and proactive decision-making.

• View the role as reactive enforcement rather than active prevention, relationship-building, and engagement.

What Lake Forest Schools Need Now

The next safety leader must understand that school security is not just about responding after something goes wrong. It is about prevention, communication, visibility, trust, and sound judgment.

When safety leadership is chosen based on alignment with administration rather than independence, vigilance can suffer. When communication is controlled instead of transparent, families are left in the dark. And when those patterns go unchallenged, the result is a loss of trust that is difficult to repair.

The next Head of Security should be someone who is present in schools, known to students and families, willing to ask hard questions, and prepared to act before problems escalate.

Parents and Taxpayers Should Pay Close Attention

Parents, teachers, taxpayers, and community members should take a close and active interest in who is selected for this role.

This is not just an internal administrative hire. It is a decision that directly affects student safety, family trust, and the culture of accountability within Lake Forest Schools.

The community should expect clear answers about the search process, the qualifications being prioritized, and how the district will ensure that the next security leader brings the independence, urgency, and experience this role requires.

Student Safety Leadership Is Too Important to Get Wrong

Our children’s safety depends on getting this right.

District 67 and District 115 have an opportunity to choose a better path—one rooted in transparency, accountability, prevention, and real engagement with the school community.

Parents Care will continue to monitor this process and encourage families to stay informed, ask questions, and insist that student safety remains a top priority.