Frustrated Lincoln Park High School parents want a meeting with mayor, CPS chief

Marybeth Jones, a parent rep on the Lincoln Park High School Local School Council, talks to the reporters Friday. | Santiago Covarrubias/For the Sun-Times

As tensions and frustrations increase at Lincoln Park High School over, among other things, the firing of two popular administrators there, parents on Friday said they want a meeting with Mayor Lori Lightfoot and schools chief Dr. Janice Jackson.

“The local school council believes we need to do this in a collaborative way with CPS, rather than in an antagonistic one,” said Marybeth Jones, a parent rep on the school’s council, speaking to reporters.

Jones and others on the council say they are frustrated at the lack of information they’ve received about the abrupt firing last week of the school’s popular interim principal and assistant principal — among other issues. And they reiterated their support Friday for those administrators, interim Principal John Thuet and Assistant Principal Michelle Brumfield.

”We feel 100% confident in what we know today that (they) ... are the right folks for our school,” said Eli Grant, another LSC member.

To date, CPS officials have released broad and vague allegations of misconduct at the school, but they have not said exactly what led to Thuet and Brumfield being ousted.

”We’re not saying, ‘CPS, you have to tell us the names of the individuals involved and what those things were,’” Grant said. “But we need to understand ... what were the investigations? What was the evidence collected?”

On Thursday, students participated in a sit-in and there were reports of several altercations at the school.

Eli Grant, a member of the Lincoln Park High School Local School Council, speaks Friday morning during a press conference outside the school.