SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois Education Association is urging local school districts to follow the law when it comes to trying to prevent threats against schools before they become violent acts.
IEA president Kathi Griffin — a suburban Chicago teacher — says the School Threat Assessment Bill, passed more than two years ago, can prevent things like the recent school shooting in Michigan.
“It requires school districts to implement a threat assessment procedure that may be part of school board policy, on targeted school violence and prevention, which much include the creation of a threat assessment team made up of specific people,” said Griffin. That team is required to include mental health professionals and representatives of state, county, and local law enforcement.”
The law also allows districts to use a one cent county sales tax to make school safety improvements and hire mental health professionals, among other things.
But, Griffin says the law has one problem.
“We know that some school districts are following the law,” said Griffin. “However, there is no mechanism in place to ensure every school district is.”
So, Griffin says both Democrat and Republican lawmakers have signed up to propose a new bill that would track which districts are following the law, saying every incident of school violence is “heartbreaking.”
We’re working to see if Peoria Public Schools is following the School Threat Assessment Law.
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