Lake Forest principal strongly criticizes video alleging secret LGTBQ room at school

Lake Forest High School.
Lake Forest High School. Photo credit Lake Forest High School

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Principal Erin Lenart, of Lake Forest High School, was very critical of online claims that a room in the school is a secret LGBTQ meeting place.

The principal was responding to reports that the high school was allegedly described as a “gay room,” where LGBTQ students and staff can meet in private.

It started with the posting of a video that was allegedly shot by a student.

He asks: “What’s going on here?”

Another student says, “Study hall.”

A teacher asks: “Do you need something?”

The video was shared — and later deleted — by Frank McCormick, who leads the Lake Forest-based Parents Care, which describes itself as an organization “fighting to take back our schools” on its Twitter page.

McCormick claimed the video raised “red flags” in comments to the Pioneer Press.

In a letter to students, families and faculty, Lenart said there is no gay room. The room is used for counseling and discussion of a variety of topics, she added.

“This type of social media noise is distractive at best and divisive at worst,” she wrote. “The repercussions have led to a feeling of anger, disrespect, uneasiness, and fear among many of our students. This is unacceptable.”

The Tribune reported that a Lake Forest High School parent, Kate Zimlich, said she believed the video was made with the “intention of creating controversy and hurting people.”

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Featured Image Photo Credit: Lake Forest High School