West Cook News

The grandmother of Lyons Township sophomore Heavyn Washington, arrested and charged with battery for an in-school attack last week of a freshman student, told the district school board two months ago that her granddaughter had her "permission" to get "become physical."

Kyle Washington, 66, of La Grange, made the statement during public comment at the Feb. 14, 2022 Lyons Township High School District 204 Board meeting. 

"We didn’t talk about it. We did something about it. It was physical, ok? I don’t want it to become physical. But somebody touches mine, she’s got permission," Washington said, emphasizing she was fine with Heavyn's punching of a fellow student earlier this year, after he allegedly "hit her on the butt several times."

Kyle Washington (third row, left) was selected from more than 100 girls trying out to be on the LT cheerleading team in 1969. She says today the school was "racist." | Lyons Township H.S.

Washington said she and other students were forced to get "physical" with racist LT students trying to "overturn her bus" on the way to prom when she was a freshman at the school in 1970. She graduated from the school in 1973.

"Racism is nothing new to LT," she said, asking the board what they were doing "about the racial tensions" and claiming "the n-word is going around fluently like somebody speaking Spanish."

Heavyn Washington, speaking to the board before her grandmother at the Feb. 14 meeting, also referenced the "prom" incident.

"I don't want to call you out grandma-- but her bus was overturned, she was going to prom, solely because of the color of her skin," she said. "It's been going on since my great grandma went to high school here. And its not just a one time thing. And it sucks that we have to have a racist outbreak to speak of these situations."

"Racism is the real epidemic. Its taken such a big toll on me," Heavyn said. "I live in fear every day of being the next hash tag. I live in fear of having that experience as my grandmother."

"Kyle Louise Washington enjoyed her experience at LT"

Lyons Township alumni attending the school from 1970-73 interviewed by West Cook News said they don't recall the prom bus incident cited by Kyle and Heavyn Washington. And a scouring of community newspaper archives from the period, looking for a report or reference to it, found no mention.

It did find news on Kyle Washington's cheerleading career.

A news brief from the Oct. 23, 1969 edition of the Brookfield Citizen ("Frosh Cheerleaders Geared for Action") reported that Kyle was one of ten selected from "more than 100 who tried out" for the freshman cheerleading team. 

"Although the girls were in uniform for homecoming, they will not perform until the basketball season," the report said.

Teammates included Bette DiBenedetto, Patti Fletcher, Jean and Joan Harley, Lee Ann Hesselgrave, Laura Kadlec, Sue Rose, Melinda Smith and Pam Wilczorek.

Kyle Washington's senior yearbook entry was complimentary of the school.

"Kyle Louise Washington (says she) enjoyed her experience at LT," her yearbook entry says. "(She) will never forget the cafeteria on sunny afternoons.. liked going for walks when the sky was blue... thought LT could use some improvements."

Western Springs police arrested Heavyn Washington, 16, on Monday and charged her with battery for her video-recorded attack of a freshman student.