Students walk out of class at Hyde Park high school, say they need help dealing with grief, trauma
Multiple students died recently; Chicago Public Schools says Southside Together not CPS-approved vendor
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Some high school students want help dealing with grief and trauma.
In the shadow of the Obama Presidential Center, they say their needs are being overlooked by their principal.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
There's a lot of attention to Hyde Park Academy High School's new neighbor, the Obama Presidential Center, just across Stony Island Avenue. But some students at the high school are trying to attention to their concerns.
On Thursday, some students of Hyde Park Academy walked out during fifth period. They organized a press conference about what they say are dwindling resources.
"Three students die in one month and the principal hasn't talked about it yet she don't care about us at all," student Aiyanna Jackson said.
The students say a vital outlet to help them dealing with trauma and loss was a peace circle run by Southside Together. A community organizer with Southside Together says they, along with other organizations, were suddenly told to stop operations at the school earlier this month.
"It's frustrating, it makes me angry, but mostly it is severing a relationship that we built with the young people to have their voice heard in their school and to me that's most upsetting," said Yvette McCaskill with Southside Together.
In April, a student was shot and killed a half block from the school. And in March, a student was struck while riding a scooter and another student was struck and killed on her way to work.
"I have another year, and that's a lot of days to just feel depressed and angered and isolated," student Zaynah Soyebo said.
The students say at a time when they need more support, resources have been taken away.
"If we can't get a new principal, at least some type of way to have the principal start caring about us getting our resources back bringing in more resources," student Liyah Juarez said.
Late Thursday afternoon, ABC7 was told that Southside Together is not a Chicago Public Schools-approved vendor.
A statement from CPS read in part, "The school has a counselor onsite and additional staff who provide mental health assistance or refer students and families to additional mental health services."
