Parents at Frankfort’s Pioneer Grove Education Center, many of whose children have severe disabilities, are insisting that the playground be fenced off to keep their children safe.
Months of inaction at the co-operative school, which serves special needs students aged 3 to 22, has caused frustration among the students’ families, Laila Yassin said, adding that several students have been attacked in the schoolyard in recent months. He claims to have wandered from there.
Yashin, who lives in Manhattan, has been pushing for the fence since April, when her 7-year-old son Zakariya, who is autistic and barely speaks, ran from the playground to a nearby water-filled detention pond.
“He doesn’t even know there is no fence around the playground because he takes the bus to school every day,” Yassin said. “I automatically thought that. Honestly, that’s common sense, right?”
Yassin said he has brought up the issue at every Lincoln-Way Area Special School District 843 meeting since then.
At the July 23 meeting, Yassin asked questions about the fence, the support provided to Pioneer Grove staff and communication with parents. According to meeting minutes posted on the website, Superintendent Sarah Rexrode said procedures and training to orient new employees to Pioneer Grove began last year, and a new communication template will be introduced in the 2024-25 school year. replied that it is used.
Pioneer Grove board members and management did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
Earlier this month, Yassin posted a petition on Change.org that has so far gathered more than 1,200 signatures. She is concerned about her son’s safety and is frustrated that paraprofessionals and school teachers have to focus on preventing students from escaping rather than interacting and engaging with them. He said he was there.
Yassin said the school had to call 911 about two weeks ago after a student went missing for nearly 10 minutes. She said the failure to install the fence was due to failure to obtain permits from the Village of Frankfort. The Village of Frankfort did not respond to a request for comment.
Yassin said she is so concerned about student safety that she is considering hiring an attorney and filing a complaint with the Illinois State Board of Education.
“Most of the autistic children who attend the school have low language skills and are unable to express themselves,” Yassin said. “Kids can’t come home and say, ‘Mom, I got lost today.’ We have full confidence in our schools to protect our children and keep them safe.”
ostevens@chicagotribune.com
First published: October 22, 2024 at 4:14 p.m.
