"It was like very scary, not even the fact that it happened more so that it could keep happening," said Star Hall, Highland Park High School freshman.
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Last week she and other students were locked down for hours following reports of a student with a gun.
"It was just like a lot of word of mouth and everyone was freaking out and everyone was just trying to keep each other calm," she recalled.
Hall voiced her concerns at the District 113 special school board meeting on school security, and she wasn't alone. Parents who attended the session did not mince words on their demands for improved school safety.
"I demand to walk away with a promise to implement metal detectors and security yesterday - today is even too late," said parent Suzy Wahl.
"We definitely need like metal detectors or some armed security or both - they need security measures in Highland Park," said Diana Plamisano, Hall's mother.
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Superintendent Bruce Law assured parents that regardless of what happened last week, security has always been a top priority for the district.
"We're constantly evaluating our security procedures. We're constantly trying to figure out if there's something else we can do," he said.
Law said while school leaders continuously work to deter events like last week's incident, he echoed the calls for stricter gun laws in the country.
"The real solution is outside of our school. The school is dealing with it once it comes in our doors, but outside the school before it gets to us that's really where the solution is," said Law.
District leaders said comments from tonight's meeting will be addressed with staff as they continue to evaluate security measures in their schools.