LTHS Holds Final Student-Police Forum Of The Year

LOCKPORT, IL — Lockport Township High School hosted its final student and police forum of the school year earlier this month. The district said students formed the Student Equity Action Committee after last summer's protests across the country.

According to the district, the students recognized the importance of communicating with the police to gain insights into police perspectives and to build positive relationships between the school and law enforcement communities.

The student and police forum was an initiative that began with conversations between Lockport Police Chief Terry Lemming and LTHS Superintendent Robert McBride.

“Teens and police rarely have an opportunity to get to know each other in thoughtful situations. The purpose is to build mutual understanding," McBride said.

The student committee and the Lockport Community Outreach Officers Jeren Szmergalski and Kevin Brauch first met virtually in November. The district said the officers spent time discussing what their job entails and students gained a better understanding of the demands on police, the challenges, and the culture of the police. In later forums, which included school resource officers, they delved into news headlines and events involving police, the importance of equity training, social media, mental health, use of force, and safety issues.

The last forum of the year included Crest Hill Mayor Ray Soliman, Crest Hill Police Officer Heidi Outlaw, Chief Lemming, Officer Brauch, and 13 student committee members, as well as LTHS staff members and administrators, the school said.

The group plans to continue engagement next school year, the district said.

“There’s definitely a significant amount of work that still needs to be done,” LTHS senior Alisha Thomas said, “But as students, we’re hoping that these local forums will serve as a way to model the sense of empathy between law enforcement, community members, and youth that we hope to see on a national level one day.”