chicago bus

New School Safety Funding Will Become Available to Illinois Districts In January

Legislators are not sure how much funding will be immediately available, but the law will prioritize under-resourced schools.

  • By Haley Samsel
  • December 10, 2019

On Jan. 1, school districts across Illinois will have the ability to submit grant requests for millions of available dollars in funding.

Last year, the state legislature approved new funding that can cover costs for a range of security measures, including upgrades for metal detectors, professional development and safety training for district officials and resources for school health centers, according to Northern Public Radio.

Jeff Keicher, a Republican state representative who supported the measure, said there are several different solutions that must be available for school districts.

“There's no one size fits all,” Keicher told the news outlet. “You have different communities that have different needs; you have different buildings that are different ages.”

He added that the new funding may loosen restrictions for districts trying to develop new, innovative solutions that do not necessarily follow state guidelines.

“It’s also a hope that through this granting mechanism, if we come up with a great innovative idea, maybe we can pull back some of the some of the requirements that don't make sense,” Keicher said.

Legislators are not sure how much funding will be immediately available, but the law does state that it will prioritize under-resourced schools across the state.

The law will go into effect as members of the Illinois Association of School Boards continue to internally debate the merits of arming staff members that are not school resource officers. Last month, the IASB voted to support a bill that would give more funding to districts seeking to hire officers. For the second year in a row, the association also voted against supporting a bill that would give districts permission to train and arm school teachers and staff.

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Father of Georgia School Shooting Suspect Charged in Connection With Attack

    Colin Gray, the father of the 14-year-old Georgia school shooting suspect, has also been charged in connection with the attack. The 54-year-old father was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children. Read Now

  • Safeguarding Stony Brook University Hospital: HALO’S Commitment to Health & Safety

    The healthcare industry is experiencing an alarming escalation of violence, including an increase in threats against healthcare workers. As a result, it is looking for ways to be proactive and protect its staff and patients.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,  the rate of injuries from violent attacks against medical professionals grew by 63% from 2011 to 2018 and hospital safety directors say that aggression against staff escalated as the COVID-19 pandemic intensified in 2020.      Read Now

  • Survey: School Safety Impacts Student Achievement, Classroom Instructional Time, and Educator Retention

    CENTEGIX recently released findings from a nationwide survey of 530 K-12 educators and administrators that bring attention to the critical issue of school safety, including the pervasive concerns surrounding staff safety, recruitment, retention, and their impact on student learning and well-being. Read Now

  • Alleviating Stress, Building Confidence, and Creating Safer Schools Through Empowerment

    An active shooter situation is often cited as being extremely rare among school violence incidents in our country. Nevertheless, when one occurs, it’s always devastating, often unpredictable, and evolves quickly. Whether at a school, a house of worship, or anywhere for that matter, one is still too many. Read Now

Most   Popular

Webinars