Safety & Security

Board of Education Meeting, October 20, 2015Chief Paul Shafer, Dr. Robert Bernat, Matt Eriksen, & John Fuhrer

Task Force Update

Current Membership

Robert Bernat – Parent, Braeside Elementary and Edgewood Middle School

Matt Eriksen – Principal, Edgewood Middle School

John Fuhrer – Director of Operations & Facilities & Transportation - NSSD 112

Amy Hyndman - Police Officer, Highland Park Police Department

David Meekhof – Teacher, Wayne Thomas Elementary School

Todd Middendorf – Teacher, Northwood Junior High

Paul Shafer – Chief of Police, Highland Park Police Department

Chief Dave Wentz, Public Safety & Security– Highwood Fire Department

Dan Pease - Fire Chief, Highland Park Fire Department

Kristin Swanson, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, NSSD 112

Purpose

A community partnership that oversees and supports consistent safety practices and maintenance throughout

North Shore School District 112 in the areas of school security, school crisis procedures, safety drills, and

school/district incident command system.

Task Force Timeline

● Task Force commissioned by Superintendent

● Reviewed District 112 practices

● Reviewed safety audits - Task Force & RETA Security

● Identified best practices

● Developed a recommended Safety & Security List

● Presented recommended list to BOE - Spring 2014

● Approved work started - 2015 to present

Changes for 2015-16 School Year

Safety and Security Task Force will meet twice per year (October 16, 2015 & May 13, 2016) for the following purposes:

● Review current progress on recommendations● Identify additional/new items to consider in the area of safety and security● Review School Safety Drill Records

○ Principal submitted● Review School/District Incident Command System

○ Tabletop exercise w/ local agencies

Decision Making Process

● Departments received approved Safety & Security Task Force recommendations

● Departments complete work associated with the recommendations

● Completed tasks are vetted and supported by the Safety & Security Task Force before recommending to the superintendent / BOE

● Safety & Security Task Force will update Board of Education on progress and work completion

Completed Work (2014-2015)

● Actively Plan for the installation of vestibules in the main entrances of each school as a part of SCFFAC outcomes

● Authorize the Safety and Security Task Force to be a standing Committee each year beginning in the 2014-15 school year

● Identify an administrator in NSSD 112 to serve as the facilitator of the Safety and Security Task Force

● BluePoint Alert Solutions installed police pull stations, medical pull stations, mobile devices, and notification systems

● Re-train all NSSD 112 staff on the standardized school plan and repeat on an annual basis thereafter

● Evaluate locks on all exterior and interior doors in the district● Purchase and distribute 2-way radios to each school before the start of the 14-15

school year● Provide professional development on visitor and volunteer policy and procedures

to building administration and office support staff

Continued

● Establish a liaison with the Illinois Task Force on School Security and Standards ● Conduct tabletop exercise with police and fire departments● Pursue the installation of secure main entry vestibules● Instruct all staff in use of the telephone intercom feature● Optimize Public Address (PA) systems, including exterior speakers - remove volume

controls. Address intermittent issues● Improve student monitoring. Train and equip recess monitors● Optimize video surveillance systems● Secure laptop carts, electrical cabinets, and unassigned lockers (6-8)● Consider installing intrusion detection (alarm) systems at each school● Continue to develop emergency plans and update evacuation maps● Continue collaboration with the Park District of Highland Park● Continue to improve visitor management procedures

Current Work (2015-2017)

● Purchase pressure dressings for standardized school crisis

backpacks

● Identify and label tornado shelter areas

● Access to two way radio frequencies on radios for local fire and

police

● Access to VPN for network video monitoring for local fire and

police

● All telephones should be labeled with emergency dialing

instructions for 911

Continued

● Develop replacement schedule for perishable items in standardized school crisis backpacks

● Review “Run-Hide-Fight”

● Attend ALICE Training - Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate

● Develop “See something, Say something” training materials within the PBIS framework for staff

and students

BluePoint Alert Solutions

● Immediately alerts building occupants to a dangerous situation

● Initiates Command and Control Incident Management System

● Automatically contacts police

● Reduces response time

● The faster first responders are on site, the

faster the emergency situation ends

● The faster people take precautions, the faster

they are safe

● Panicked people don't think clearly or react

rationally

BluePoint Foundation

Video Surveillance

● Middle Schools - Approximately 20 internal cameras were added to hallways / gyms / cafe / multipurpose room at each site

● Elementary Schools - 1 internal camera added at the entrances / office at each site

● Memory was increased at all schools

● Software was updated

● Enhanced remote viewing

Future Work (Beyond 2017)

● Study 3M ballistics film for applicability in NSSD 112 schools

● Research visitor management software/procedures for implementation in

all schools in NSSD 112

● Conduct “full scale” exercises that involve police, fire and NSSD 112 staff

● Install vestibules as renovation work begins at each school or as new

schools are built as a part of SCFFAC outcomes

● Install sprinkler systems in each school

● Install a distinctive “this is not a drill” announcement for emergency

scenarios

Continued

● Adopt a credential exchange practice or purchase a visitor management software system

● Provide consistent classroom locking mechanisms (those that have interior locking capabilities) across the district

● Acquire additional Automatic External Defibrillators, (AEDs) so that each level has one

Community Partnership

● Commitment to emergency preparedness● Focused on school / community safety● Shared expectations● Improved planning and training● Common language● Strong relationships

Thank you

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