Crystal Lake Central Copes With Loss of Student

Adrian Salazar, a senior at Crystal Lake Central High School went missing March 1. On March 9, around 4:15 p.m., his body was found at Canterbury Park with a handgun nearby.

When students arrived at Crystal Lake Central High School Tuesday morning, administrators, teachers, social workers and counselors were at the ready to help them deal with the sudden passing of their classmate.

First off, I think it’s important to acknowledge just the passing of one of our students is an incredibly saddening thing for our whole community,” James Puma, director of communications said.

The high school is not the only place where resources have been made available to students. Throughout the district, crisis teams, in place for more than eight years, have been mobilized to help.

“They have also been working to identify students that might be struggling,” Puma said. “It’s not just passive, it’s also active, our teachers, our counselors, our social workers are actively identifying the students and getting them the help they need.

“We as a district are still processing this and trying to help our students and our (community) through it to make sure they get the resources they need in the short term.”