Oak Forest HS Students Rally For Beloved Security Officer After Firing

OAK FOREST, IL — Oak Forest High School students are shocked at the firing of a beloved school security officer, and fighting to see him brought back to the role.

Malcolm Martin—affectionately known to students and parents as "Cap"—was dismissed from his duties at the school Thursday, Jan. 19. His absence at the school surprised many, with outcry rising on neighborhood social media pages and an online petition started by students.

"No security guard at Oak Forest cares for the students like Cap did, I truly believe Cap would give everything to ensure the safety of every student, and I trust him more than any other staff at oak forest. Bring Back Cap!" one student wrote on the petition.

Martin's termination stemmed from what he and others have called a playful exchange with a student during a passing period. Martin said earlier last week, a student passed him in the hallway and jokingly put him in a headlock. Later that same day, "Cap" playfully did the same as the student passed him again, also rubbing the top of the student's head in a "noogie" motion—and it was captured on social media app Snapchat.

Two days later, Martin was fired. He contends both he and the student were "just playing" both times, and says that neither the student nor the student's parents complained about the exchange.

"Everyone agrees the video is not malicious," Martin told Patch. "The child did not complain, the mom did not complain."

Martin is employed by third-party security provider Prudential Defense Solutions. He had served in the Oak Forest High School position for four years. He has worked in school security for 20 years, he added. He was removed from both the Oak Forest High School role and was disqualified from any other future work within Bremen High School District 228, he said.

"All for a 30-second video of me playing with a student," he said, "and I’ve been there 4 years. No write-up, no suspension, they just kicked me out of the whole district."

He was reassigned to Thornwood High School the next day. As a result, his pay rate was also decreased from $18 per hour, to $15.50, he said.

Students at school Friday, Jan. 20 immediately noticed Martin's absence, several said.

"The school just felt ... quiet," said senior Ryan Przybylski. "It didn’t really feel the same."

Parents and students took to social media to express their shock at the school's decision. The online petition to reinstate him had gained nearly 500 signatures as of Thursday afternoon.

"He was always extremely open with everyone, you could talk to him about anything," Przybylski said. "He always had a smile on his face. He was always talking to someone, making someone smile. … He wasn’t just a security guard, he was even better than a teacher to some."

District and school officials declined to comment on the incident.

"Unfortunately, this is a personnel issue, and it wouldn't be appropriate to comment," wrote Bremen High School District 229 Public Relations Specialist Yasmeen Sheikah in an email to Patch. In a followup phone call, Sheikah said the matter had been handled internally.

"Cap was one of the greatest," said one student who asked to remain anonymous. "He always joked around with us and would help in any way. Whether we were having a bad day, or a good day. If you were short money for lunch, Cap had your back and helped you out. Cap was always smiling and even better, Cap made me feel safe. It was amazing to know that we had one of the most down to earth security guards in our corner. Every student at OF misses him and want to see Cap return."

Martin said that he'll miss his interactions with the students.

"I love those kids, those kids are so nice," he said. "They’re well-mannered, they’re polite. It brightened my day to go to work and see them."

He said he feels "wronged" by his abrupt firing.

"I’m just here, I’m where I’m at now, and I lost everything," he said, of the change in job and reduction in pay rate. "And I just think I’ve been done wrong."

A parent on the petition called Martin a "breath of fresh air" at the school.

"Give this man his job back," the parent wrote. "These kids had a great security guard. It was a breath of fresh air that the kids had a guard they respected but were also comfortable enough to go to when they needed help or a friendly ear to listen.

"They knew him by name and he knew the kids. There’s a happy medium with these guards being respected but not feared to the point of not approachable and being friendly but not their best friend. He had that happy medium. This man cared for and acknowledged the students more than the majority of the school's teachers and administration."

Martin said he does not have any hope he'll be able to return to the school. The support from students and parents has been touching, though, he said.

"It makes me feel special," Martin said. "It really touched my heart to see all the comments, all the messages I’ve been getting from students, parents.

"It really made me feel special."