HILLSIDE, Ill. Dec 13 2021 A school security officer at Proviso West High School has been arrested on allegations of physically assaulting a student Friday afternoon.

The security officer came into a classroom at the high school in west suburban Hillside and confronted a male student who was sitting at a white board with the teacher’s permission, according to Proviso Township High Schools District 209.

The security officer then made demands of the student and grabbed him, threw him against the white board, and threw him onto the floor, the school district said.

The district said the security officer made an “unprovoked attack” on a child who was not a threat to himself or anyone else, was not combative and was not behaving disruptively.

Proviso Township High Schools Supt. Dr. James Henderson directed school staff to call authorities right away and have the officer taken into custody, the school district said.

“I am extremely disappointed, no – I’m upset by what transpired today,” Henderson said in a news release. “No adult should ever put their hands on a child in that manner especially not in a school setting. The behavior exhibited by the SRO is consistent with what we see flash across our TV screens almost daily with Black and Brown young men being targets of police officers. Our scholars deserve better than that and we will do everything in our power to protect them.”

The district said the security officer will not be allowed back on school grounds.

The district noted that students are struggling with stress and depression due to the COVID-19 pandemic as it is, and the officer’s behavior only makes everything worse.

Hillside police confirmed the security officer was arrested and said the matter was under investigation late Friday. While the school district characterized him as a “school resource officer,” police said he was working security – but it was not clear whether he was a police officer or a security guard with a private company.

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