Safety hazard at CPS in North Center with doors only locking from the outside
CHICAGO (CBS) -- With the new school year in full swing, student safety is top of mind.
CBS 2 is always investigating, digging deeper into a safety hazard we first started seeing over a year ago. CBS 2's Sabrina Franza has learned of a second Chicago Public School with classroom doors that can only be locked from the outside.
She's bringing the issue to Chicago Public Schools, asking what they plan to do.
Christina Rosset wants one thing when she drops her son off at kindergarten.
"That my kid is safe when I drop him off at school every day."
Recently, she noticed the locks on her son's classroom door at the Alexander Graham Bell School in North Center, only lock from the outside, using a key. That turn lock on the inside, she said, isn't functioning.
"They look like they're from 1934. They're super old, and they don't lock from the inside," Rosset said.
Depending on how a school interprets it, it is a safety concern and possibly a violation of the Illinois School Code.
The code said that doors must be lockable without opening the door, but that's not the case here.
It does not specify which doors in school buildings need to follow that rule.
"CPS does know about it, and they're not doing anything about it," Rosset said.
Parents like Rosset are concerned in the event of an active shooter situation, her son's teacher would need to exit the room and use a key to lock the door.
CPS does require all doors be locked at all times, though CBS 2 was told that's not what happens in practice.
"You should be able to trust your school district or administrators, your city, to keep your kids safe," Rosset said.
CBS 2 was told CPS completed an internal audit last year assessing its school safety measures. When CBS 2 asked to see those results multiple times, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests were repeatedly denied.
"It's horrible, and it's shady," Rosset said. "I feel like if more people banded together, and even teachers and administration banded together, that would probably make a big difference," Rosset said.
Parents like Rosset just want updated locks and some transparency.
CBS 2 reached out to CPS for a response to all of this. They told us in part, "As a district, we take the safety and security of our students and staff seriously every day."
