LM Nov-Dec.2019

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LM Month 2019
Educationand trainingarekey components
The helpline may be the most tangible part of the Safe2Help
initiative, but the education and training components of the
program may be even more important in terms of prevention
and the long-term goal of changing the school safety culture.
The Safe2Help program will feature a comprehensive, public-
facing website focused on the idea that prevention and early
intervention is the key to preventing violence and saving lives.
As part of the program’s outreach, trainers will be hired and a
school safety curriculum and resources are being developed.
We are looking to provide age-appropriate training and
resources regarding these topics/issues:
• In the lower grades, the difference between “tattling” and
“telling” and a “Be Kind” initiative to try at the earliest ages
to start to combat bullying.
• In the middle grades, adding Internet safety and drug
awareness to the curriculum.
• At the high school level, adding to the curriculum suicide
prevention and a direct appeal to share information with a
trusted adult or through the Safe2Help program to get help
for students before they harm themselves or others.
While the Safe2Help line can offer a way in which to receive
and share critical information the day it is activated, the
education/training efforts may produce even more benefits
over the long term.
IASA has been a valuable member of the Illinois Terrorism
Task Force’s School Safety Working Group ever since it
was formed in the days following the school shootings in
Parkland, Florida in February 2018. IASA Executive Director
Dr. Brent Clark was one of the original members. Other
IASA representatives on the SSWG include Dr. Roger Alvey,
superintendent of Illini Bluffs CUSD #327; Dr. Seth Chapman,
assistant superintendent of St. Charles CUSD #303 and Dr.
Steve Webb, superintendent of Goreville CUSD #1.
In addition to state and local law enforcement agencies and
associations, the SSWG also includes the Illinois Association
of School Boards, the Illinois Principals Association, the
Illinois State Board of Education, the Chicago Public Schools
Director of Safety and Security, the Illinois School Psychologists
Association and the Illinois Association of Regional
Superintendents of Schools.
Other school safety recommendations
and initiatives
As of October of 2019, the SSWG has made 15 school safety
recommendations (click to see the full list) including
response protocols, the hardening of school facilities and
behavioral and mental health recommendations. Understanding
that public schools already have more than 200 unfunded
mandates, almost all of the SSWG recommendations are best
practice recommendations versus mandates.
That said, the General Assembly passed and Governor JB
Pritzker signed into law HB 1561, which includes two of the
main SSWG recommendations. The first requires K–12 schools
to form Behavioral Threat Assessment teams that might include
school administrators, counselors, teachers, staff, mental
health professionals and local law enforcement to review and
determine what interventions, if any, need to take place based
on the behaviors of students.
A second part of that legislation allows school districts to use
Health, Life Safety Tax Levy funds and/or funds from the County
School Facilities Sales Tax (for the 51 counties that have
passed that sales tax referendum) to hire School Resource
Officers (SROs) and/or mental health professionals. Those two
tax funds previously have been limited to physical improvements
to facilities.
Other SSWG recommendations that are currently being
implemented include:
• The distribution of bleeding control kits as well as offering the
90-minute hands-on American College of Surgeons Stop the
Bleed training. The ITTF is distributing one bleeding-control
kit to every public and private K–12 attendance center in the
state and an additional five kits to every attendance center
where at least five teachers/staff members have completed
the hands-on training course. The kits are being distributed
by the ROE offices. For information, contact Stop the Bleed
Project Manager, Barb Oliff, at
• Free Behavioral Threat Assessment or Site Security
Assessment training through the Illinois School and
Campus Safety Resource Center at Western Illinois
University. For information, call 309–298–2646 or email
For information about any of the SSWG recommendations
or initiatives, or to schedule a speaker, please contact me
at or my assistant Deb Clark at