Parents and students in East Chicago are asking for answers from school on how they are handling the incident of having a teacher charged with possessing a list of people she wants to kill, with herself on the top of the list.
Outraged parents and their kids gathered on Wednesday outside of St. Stanislaus School to demand solutions and safety plans after a teacher was arrested and charged with felony intimidation for possession of a "kill list" last week, WGN9 reported.
The group stated that they want a "greater transparency" from the school, better safety measures and a full investigation on the case.
'Kill List' in detention
As per court documents, 2 fifth graders were in the classroom of teacher Angelica Carrasquillo, 25 years old from Griffith,last week for a recess detention.
One of the students allegedly heard the teacher speak about wanting to kill herself and having a "kill list." More horrifying was that Carrasquillo allegedly told the students that their names can be found "at the bottom of the list."
Court documents further stated that the teacher was removed from her classroom after a student called out to administrators. She was escorted to the office of the principal, where she allegedly declared that she wanted to kill herself, her staff, and students, and admitted to creating a kill list.
Parents and protesters are now questioning the school why Carrasquillo was able to stay on school grounds without the police being called for a long period of time. School administrators said to have waited for four hours after the report was made to inform the police, allowing the teacher to leave school first. She was arrested at her home the next day.
"The police should have been notified first, and then we should have been notified that our children were in harm's way. They could've used the text message system. They could've used the phone system to contact us to let us know what is going on," expressed Ashley Rios, a parent of a St. Stanislaus student.
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Lack of data keeps parents in isolation
The authorities said that Carrasquillo is now in a medical facility, but remains in their custody. However, they have not been able to question the teacher or procure a warrant to search her residence.
East Chicago Police Department Chief Jose Rivera emphasized that the school should have called them immediately when the incident was happening. It was crucial for them to be present during the interview of Carrasquillo with the principal. If they have been able to question her at school, they would have been able to search for any weapons or other evidence in her classroom or locker, if she has, with the permission of the school.
The Diocese of Gary, which runs the school, said Monday that it's cooperating with the police officers and is continually reviewing the incident, ABC7 reported.
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