This Week in School and Campus Safety

Good morning,

This Weekly Update by the Illinois School and Campus Safety Program links to a letter by Dr. Carmen Ayala addressing masking in schools, shares an analysis update to the Averted School Violence Database, and promotes trainings on wellness, railroad safety, earthquake preparedness, and developing emergency operations plans for higher education.

Please note, we are in the process of updating our contacts list. If you believe you have been added by mistake or wish to no longer receive our emails, just let me know and I will remove you from our directory.

Respectfully,

Laura Black
le-black@wiu.edu
Program Coordinator
Illinois School and Campus Safety Program
Letter from State Superintendent Regarding Masking Mandate

Dr. Carmen Ayala, State Superintendent of Education, released a letter to superintendents last week addressing the state masking mandate, stating:

"The executive order has the force of law. I understand the pressure some school and district leaders may be facing from community members, and I will provide you with every support to understand, communicate, and comply with the order. However, noncompliance is not an option. I will not compromise the health and safety of students or staff, nor will I risk even one child’s life. Local boards of education, schools, and school districts do not have the authority to deny the Governor’s Executive Order requiring universal indoor masking in schools. Doing so not only puts students’ health and safety at risk but also opens the district to extraordinary legal liability – potentially without any insurance to cover damages."

To read the Letter to Superintendents: Enforcement of Universal Indoor Masking Requirement​​​, click here.
Averted School Violence (ASV) Database: 2021 Analysis Update

The COPS Office released the Averted School Violence (ASV) Database: 2021 Analysis Update, which "analyzes an additional 120 averted incidents of school violence, expanding the knowledge base and further developing lessons learned as our understanding grows of how school attacks are planned, discovered, and thwarted." The report looks at school, suspect, and event information, as well as lessons learned. To view the PDF version of the update, click here.
Last Chance to Register: Preparing for the Unimaginable: An In-Depth Look at Wellness, Trauma Recovery, and Resilience class on August 25th via Zoom

There's still time to register for the "Preparing for the Unimaginable: An In-Depth Look at Wellness, Trauma Recovery, and Resilience" class on August 25th from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm via Zoom. This class is for both K-12 schools and Institutions of Higher Education, as well as law enforcement and other school and campus safety stakeholders. For more information and to register, click here.
Registration Closing Soon! Railroad Safety for First Responders, Educators, and School Bus Drivers on August 27th via Zoom

There's still time to register for the "Railroad Safety for First Responders, Educators, and School Bus Drivers" class on August 27th from 9am-12pm via Zoom. The Railroad Safety class covers the challenges that frontline responders and school staff are faced with when responding to an incident on or near railroad property. This 3-hour class will prepare all involved (bus drivers, school administrators, law enforcement, first responders, etc.) and will provide responding individuals the correct tools to safely navigate the unfamiliar environment of the railroad. Attendees will gain access to the safest ways to respond to railroad incidents. For more information and to register, click here.
Coming Soon! Earthquake Preparedness for Schools class and Developing Emergency Operations Plans for Higher Education class

The Illinois School and Campus Safety Program is be partnering with the Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center to provide a virtual session of their Earthquake Preparedness for Schools class and a virtual session of the Developing Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs) for Institutions of Higher Education class. Flyers and registration links will be forthcoming!
Illinois School and Campus Safety Program www.ilschoolsafety.org
schoolsafety@iletsbei.com