![]() There has not yet been a decision about whether the district will hire armed or unarmed security, or install metal detectors, and District 112 communications director Nicholas Glenn said any decisions on such measures would include public discussion and consideration. Lubelfeld said in a July 26 update the district is researching “weapons detections solutions” to ensure safety. The district spent approximately $1.6 million in the 2021-2022 school year, including upgrades for visitor management standardization, door access changes, intercom public address upgrades and new and expanded use of security cameras, according to Lubelfeld, and it already has alarm boxes throughout schools which students or staff can pull to call police. Some security measures were taken last year. ![]() ![]() Lubelfeld has briefed District 112 parents on safety protocols over the last month and a half with email updates, video updates and even a pair of podcasts.ĭistrict 112 consists of two middle schools, seven elementary schools and an early child care center in Highland Park and Highwood. He said the district is following recommendations by the Illinois Terrorism Task Force’s School Safety Working Group, including focusing on “behavioral assessments, hardening our facilities and response protocols.” 12 that the district has been and continues to “align our safety and security and mental health practices based upon what experts tell us, based upon what specialists report to us and based upon evidence and research.” “That said, we are nervous because until it happens and we meet our students, we will have no real idea.” “A lot of us are hopeful that it might go better than what we had anticipated,” he said. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) The school serves as a resource center and a site where people can retrieve items lost during the mass shooting that occurred during an Independence Day parade. People outside Highland Park High School on July 7, 2022. ”Even if people can somehow manage to cope with one thing, we’re nervous we’ll face a combination of trauma that will be evident in a number of kids,” he said.īut Esgar, who lives in Highland Park, said he’s glad the community used the high school as a home base for counseling services over the summer, believing the positive feelings generated there might carry over into the school year. Marty Esgar, president of the District 113 Education Association, a teachers union that covers Highland Park and Deerfield high schools, said his members are concerned about students afflicted by a confluence of stressors - first the pandemic, then the elementary school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, and finally the mass shooting in Highland Park. “We should have a country (in) that we feel safe in school.” “It shouldn’t take the local superintendent to make kids feel safe in school,” Newman said. Newman said Highland Park is “so lucky” to have significant resources in the schools to support children, but said she wishes every community affected by shootings could receive the same outpouring of support and action after tragedy. “I know that there have been several board meetings for additional safety measures they’re putting into place. “I think (District 112) has been doing a great job,” Newman said. Other parents feel confident that the local school systems have capable administrators and the resources to pull off a safe school year in which students are supported and can thrive. Kane, who has worked in conflict zones such as Afghanistan and Yemen, said overbearing measures could “make our schools feel like jails, particularly (for) students of color and/or from disadvantaged backgrounds.” She’s particularly concerned lockdown drills could stir up a sense of panic in children without providing clear benefits, citing research from Everytown for Gun Safety she plans to keep her daughter home when they are scheduled. Her daughter is about to start kindergarten in Highland Park, said she’s worried about the schools going overboard. At this point, most of us think it’s not if (an attack) is going to happen but when.” “We just want to make sure they do something more tangible when it comes to securing the buildings to deter potential shooters. ”We trust the people who are responsible for the school district,” he said. Parent Carlos Perez-Turcios said he’s concerned the schools pose a “soft target” that could be easily breached. ![]()
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