April 19, 2018
Your daily synopsis of education news
Miller: Past is likely prologue with state budget
Rich Miller of the Capitol Fax gave his thoughts on what will happen with the state budget in his weekly column. 

Miller disagrees with the prediction some Republican lawmakers have made in the media that Democrats will try to jam through a half-year budget. Miller writes it: “ignores one of the most significant legislative events of the past several years: The 2017 bipartisan overrides of Gov. Rauner’s vetoes of the income tax hike and the budget bills.”

Miller believes retiring House Republicans who voted for the tax hike have leverage during budget negotiations, adding he believes rank-and-file Democrats do not want another budget crisis. 

Also from the column:

“Rauner really needs a win. He and his leaders will have to either negotiate in good faith, or they can just punt it to the other side and the governor can veto the budget yet again and spin the results as best they can.”

Sam McCann announces for governor as Conservative Party candidate
Thursday morning, Sen. Sam McCann (C-Plainview) announced he and Veterans’ Rights Activist Aaron Merreighn (C-Riverton) would join the Illinois Gubernatorial race as Conservative Party candidates. McCann will need to collect 25,000 valid signatures by late June to qualify as a new third-party candidate.

School safety continues to be a hot topic at schools in Illinois
More coverage on school safety from different media outlets.

In Peoria, a policy for how school resource officers should use Tasers is moving along. The district previously purchased the devices for school resource officers and is currently training them and developing policy on how they are used before they are deployed

The Peoria Journal-Star writes:

“Peoria Public Schools security officers won’t use Tasers on students in pre-kindergarten to eighth grades, regardless of weight. But the weapons aren’t intended for use on students as much as they are for outside threats.”

Tasers were discussed during a recent policy committee. The newspaper quoted PPS safety director Demario Boone, who emphasized at the meeting Taser use by security officers is meant to help keep students and staff safe. 

The district is also pushing for a state law that would allow security officers to carry firearms. 

Meanwhile in southern Illinois, Baysinger Architects in Marion hosted a School Building Safety Lunch and Learn for area school and law enforcement officials, according to WSIU Public Radio.

At the meeting, a consultant with Sonitrol Verified Electronic Security talked about the various ways schools can incorporate duress video, audio and access control security options.

"We call your dispatch first. We relay that information to dispatch. Then, we hang up that phone and then we call your (school) call list, let them know dispatch is on their way, this is the alarm we gave them and then that end user can let us know if the alarm is valid or false."

For more information on school safety, IASA created a school safety tab on our website with numerous resources for schools. 


Bill that would ban tackle football for kids under 12 effectively dead
The Chicago Tribune reports a proposal to ban tackle football in Illinois for kids under age 12 is effectively dead for now.

The lawmaker who spearheaded the so-called Dave Duerson Act, state Rep. Carol Sente, acknowledged Wednesday the measure lacks sufficient backing to pass the legislature. 

“Passing this bill is an extremely important goal to me,” Sente, a Vernon Hill Democrat told the newspaper. “I don’t plan to call the bill for a vote this year, but I’m going to keep it open because every week there is new information.”


Technology can help schools crack down on vaping and e-cigarrettes
District Administration writes how schools are cracking down on vaping and e-cigarettes in school.

The website says some administrators have closed or increased monitoring of school bathrooms, sent students for drug tests and even banned USB thumb drives. 

The most concerning device is the JUUL vaping device, which is designed to look just like a computer thumb drive.

One solution to the problem is a new sensor that can detect the vapor. The device, produced by Soter Technologies, can be placed in bathrooms, locker rooms and other areas where cameras are prohibited, and where students are likely to vape.

When the sensor detects the volatile organic compounds emitted by e-cigarettes or vaping, an alert is sent to designated school personnel, District Administration writes.


Illinois teacher shortage part 3
Illini West High School District 307 Superintendent Kim Schilson discusses how the teacher shortage in Illinois has affected her district.