Glenbrook South board meeting held following student social media post many considered threatening

A Glenbrook South High School board meeting was held Tuesday night following a controversial social media post made by a student last week that many in the community considered to be antisemitic and threatening.

The post showed a picture of the student dressed in clothing that some say resembled that of a Hamas militant, accompanied by a quote.

A statement from District 225 said the post had been investigated by the district and Glenview police, with police saying that officers spoke "with the student, his parent, and school officials and determined no crime was committed and no direct or immediate threat to public safety exists.”

The district said that federal and state privacy laws prohibit the disclosure of specific details regarding disciplinary actions towards a student.

"Officers have spoken with the student, his parent and school officials and determined no crime committed and no direct or immediate threat to public safety exists," District 225 board president Bruce Doughty said.

Despite the investigation from local police, many local parents said the post felt very threatening.

"For them to assess that as no threat meant that they had no clue what they were looking at," Northbrook parent Paul Eisenstadt said.

The controversy comes as the Israel-Hamas war enters its second year after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel launched by Hamas.

The militant group, designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and several other countries, attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people while taking approximately 250 people hostage.

Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip in the war that has ensued since have left over 42,000 Palestinians dead, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry does not distinguish between militants and civilians, though they say women and children make up more than half of the total casualties.

The controversy is not the first the school has faced related to the Israel-Hamas war, with a Glenbrook South yearbook advisor previously removed from her teaching duties after a student entry expressed happiness over the Oct. 7 attacks.

The board conducted an investigation into the previous incident, with a full timeline found on the district's website.

In wake of the previous controversy, all staff at the district are now required to take training on bigotry, hatred and discrimination.

"I want accountability, certainly recourse for the student. I want recourse for the board, I want to know what their plan is," Northbrook parent David Telisman said.

The board said it will release a plan to update progress on its initiatives on Oct. 28.