Schools

Safety in our schools is a right every student and family should expect. The State of Illinois has incorporated numerous initiatives to ensure our schools are as well prepared as possible. This Web page divides our information in two categories of pre-college (grades pre K-12) and College. Each discusses programs and initiatives the State of Illinois has adopted to ensure pre-planning for emergencies and the ability to respond to an emergency is there.

Pre-school through High School

• Safe School Drill Act
  
  
  • Purpose: Public Act 094-0600 (105 ILCS 128) also known as the School Safety Drill Act, was signed into law August 16, 2005. Its purpose is to have public and private schools review their school safety plans with first responders and to conduct specific school safety drills.
    
    
  • Additional Documents
    
    
  • School Safety Drills Best Practices and Procedures DVD – NEW! Watch a preview of a new school safety DVD, developed as a best practice guide for teaching vital information about Illinois’ mandated school safety drills and their functional protocols. The guidelines and procedures depicted are based on best practices derived from lessons learned and after-action reports from actual school incidents.
    
    


• Tornado Preparedness for Illinois Schools


• The following video and accompanying checklist provide emergency planning assistance to schools in re-evaluating, expanding and enhancing their tornado shelter plans and preparing for an event.
  
  
• Video
  
  
• Tornado Preparedness Checklist for Schools (PDF)
  
  
• Multi Hazard Emergency Planning for Illinois Schools.
  
  
  • Training Information: The Illinois State Board of Education in partnership with the Illinois Terrorism Task Force is sponsoring a statewide school security training project designed to increase the capacity of schools to plan for and manage critical incidents.
    
  • Training Schedule


• School Emergency and Crisis Response Plan Template
  
  
  • Template for school officials and emergency management to work together.
    
    
• International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Guide for Preventing and Responding to School Violence, 2^nd Edition - NEW
  
  
  • Acknowledging that no two schools are exactly alike and no single plan will work well in all schools, this guide presents multiple strategies and various approaches for members of school communities to consider when creating safer learning environments.
    

College

• Campus Safety Initiative
  Following the tragic event at Virginia Tech, the State of Illinois established the Campus Security Task Force. This multi-disciplinary task force, comprised of Illinois' top leaders in education, mental health, public safety and law enforcement, has been charged with crafting better, more effective campus security policies. They have also been charged with providing guidance directly to higher education campuses in order to improve mental health support on campus. Below are links containing the Task Force's report to the Governor on April 15, 2008.
  
  
  • Campus Security Task Force Report
  • Executive Summary
  • Part I
  • Part II


• Campus Security Enhancement Act of 2008
  Pursuant to the Campus Security Enhancement Act of 2008 [110 ILCS 12/20], each higher education institution must develop a National Incident Management System-compliant, all hazards, emergency response plan and an inter-disciplinary and multi jurisdictional campus violence prevention plan. This provision was effective January 1, 2009.

  Guidance for complying with the Campus Security Enhancement Act of 2008 may be found at 29 Ill. Adm. Code 305, All Hazards Campus Emergency Plan and Violence Prevention Plan.



• Multi Hazard Emergency Planning for Illinois Schools.
  
  
  • Training Information: The Illinois State Board of Education in partnership with the Illinois Terrorism Task Force is sponsoring a statewide school security training project designed to increase the capacity of schools to plan for and manage critical incidents.
    
    
  • Training Schedule

For Additional Information

• Active Shooter Safety Resources
• Illinois Attorney General - Safeguarding Children
• Illinois State Board of Education
• National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEF)
• The Final Report and Findings of the Safe School Initiative: Implications for the Prevention of School Attacks in the United States (U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Department of Education)
• United States Department of Education’s Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools technical assistance center.
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security READY KIDS