One student was injured in an altercation after a River Forest-Lake Station football game Friday in Lake Station, officials said.
Christine Pepa, the principal at Thomas A. Edison Jr. Sr. High School, posted on the Lake Station Community Schools Facebook page Saturday that “an altercation occurred” between a visitor from the visiting school and an Edison student “outside the football stadium while walking to the parking lot.”
“Police officers were on site for the game and were immediately alerted and responded to the scene along with school administration and an ambulance was called for the injured student,” Pepa wrote.
The Post-Tribune is not identifying the student, because he is a juvenile. Officials at the University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital on Monday confirmed the student has been released.
An online fundraiser set up for the injured student said in a post late Sunday the student was “now home and relaxing” after previously being in a medically induced coma.
A description on the site said the page was set up to help the injured student’s family with medical expenses. As of Monday afternoon, $1,515 had been raised.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured student and his family as he continues to recover from this incident,” Pepa said.
Lake Station Police Chief David Johnson said in an email Monday, “It is an active investigation, and there is a lot of hearsay, and speculation at this point. We are trying to get to the facts.”
Johnson said his department does expect to file charges from the incident, “but it is unknown at this time as to how many people will be charged.”
“We have zero tolerance for bullying and fighting; as student safety is our priority at Lake Station Community Schools and Edison Junior Senior High School,” Pepa said. “We will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as well as the other school’s administration.”
Pepa said that “due to juvenile and student privacy rights, we cannot comment on details regarding the students involved, but are disciplining according to our student handbook and school policy.”
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Post-Tribune reporter Meredith Colias contributed.
Twitter @ruthyjacobs