This Week in School and Campus Safety

Good afternoon,

This Weekly Update by the Illinois School and Campus Safety Program provides resources on K-12 and Higher Ed protests and demonstrations, highlights Summer Safety Month, and links to guidance from the CDC on COVID-19 and youth sports.

Thank you for your interest in school and campus safety. However, if you wish to no longer receive our emails, just let me know and I will remove you from our contacts list.

Respectfully,

Laura Black
Program Coordinator
Illinois School and Campus Safety Program
Protests and Demonstrations

With the recent events happening across the nation, we would like to share information about protests and demonstrations as they relate to K-12 schools and Institutions of Higher Education. 

When considering K-12 and Higher Ed protests/demonstrations, lessons can be learned from history. In 2015, protests broke out at several institutions of higher education in the United States. For Mizzou (the University of Missouri), among the factors that resulted in the protests were racism and injustice. The protests made national news, with even President Obama saying in an interview , “I think it is entirely appropriate for students in a thoughtful, peaceful way to protest what they see as injustices or inattention to serious problems in their midst,” and that “I want an activist student body just like I want an activist citizenry, and the issue is just making sure that even as these young people are getting engaged, getting involved, speaking out that they're also listening.” In the end, tensions lasted for an extended period of time, administrators and faculty resigned or were fired, and Mizzou felt the repercussions in both funding and enrollment for semesters afterward.

In order to help K-12 schools and Institutions of Higher Education respond to protests and demonstrations, the Illinois School and Campus Safety Resource Center website includes pages on K-12 Protests and Demonstrations and Higher Ed Protests and Demonstrations , including lessons learned from the 2015 protests at Mizzou.
Summer Safety Month

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency's monthly preparedness theme for June is Summer Safety. Hot Summer days are almost upon us and with them, the dangers of heat exposure. Whether outdoors or indoors, when it is hot and body temperatures begin to rise, individuals can develop hyperthermia. Hyperthermia encompasses several conditions including heat stress, heat fatigue, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. In order to promote the well-being of students and staff alike, it is important to take measures in preventing hyperthermia, but it is also equally important to recognize the signs of heat-related illnesses.

The Ready Illinois website provides hot weather safety tips such as:
  • While exercising outside drink two to four cups of water per hour
  • Don’t drink alcoholic, caffeinated, or high sugar beverages
  • If possible, stay in air-conditioned locations
  • Take cool baths or showers
  • Avoid wearing heavy, dark-colored, or tight clothing
The Ready Illinois website also provides key information for recognizing heat exhaustion and heat stroke and lists actions to take for both conditions.

Additionally, the Illinois School and Campus Safety Resource Center website includes information and resources on heat safety within the Severe Weather Resources section of the website.
COVID-19 and Youth Sports

In addition to heat safety, another Summer safety concern is sports and COVID-19. The CDC recently released the COVID-19 Considerations for Youth Sports . The guidance information includes guiding principles, assessing risk, promoting behaviors that reduce spread, maintaining healthy environments and operations, and preparing for when someone gets sick. The webpage also provides communication resources, including the one featured below.
Illinois School and Campus Safety Program www.ilschoolsafety.org