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Highland Park, Deerfield high schools change to random system for weapons detection
District 113’s K9 teams are in place and a safety committee is in development
To “act as a deterrent, reduce vulnerabilities, and position (school officials) to efficiently and effectively respond” to situations, Township High School District 113 is expanding its security measures.
During its meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 28, the district’s board of education heard a breakdown of the upgraded safety protocol, which comprises two new measures and a change to the weapons detection systems that are already in place at both Highland Park and Deerfield high schools.
Moving forward, instead of all students at one school entrance passing through the weapons detection system, students entering all school entrances — three at each high school — will be selected at random to get screened by the weapons detectors.
Brian Ahmer, the district’s chief operations officer, explained that after students scan their ID to enter the building (part of the current procedure), they may be selected at random to move to the weapons-detectors for a screening.
Weapons detectors were introduced at Highland Park and Deerfield high schools to begin the 2023-’24 school year, just a few months after a gun was brought to HPHS, leading to public outcry and a parent-led campaign to encourage more security measures.
Later that school year, district officials reported that staffing levels could not support the expansion of the weapons detection systems to every school entrance.
Superintendent Dr. Chala Holland called the district’s new plan to utilize randomized selection for the weapons detections — united with other security measures, such as a K9 detections team and security committee — is “scalable.”
“We are in a position to be thoughtful in our implementation of our safety and mitigation efforts,” she said. “As you’ve heard, we are taking a more comprehensive approach. … What I appreciate about our plan is it’s scalable. If there is ever a need, we already have systems in place where we can scale up or scale down as necessary by campus.”
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Ahmer also provided an update on the K9 security teams that are now active in both high schools.
The district approved a contract in September to add firearm- and explosive-detecting K9 teams into its security portfolio. Ahmer said on Jan. 28 that the teams officially began in January, with Jinx and handler at Deerfield and Sue and handler at HPHS. The teams are active in the schools during school hours and during larger school-sponsored events.
The final new piece of security is a School Safety Advisory Committee, which is currently in development, Ahmer said.
The 15- to 20-person committee will comprise students, staff members, and district families and caregivers who will meet quarterly during the school year, Ahmer said.
The purpose of the committee, according to the presentation, is to assess the safety of the school buildings; enhance the wellbeing of the students, staff and district community; and communicate, seek input and address concerns regarding safety.
Applications for the committee open in February and the first meeting is tentatively scheduled for March.
The district sent an email explaining the security changes to families following the Jan. 28 meeting. For more information on the weapons detection systems and other safety measures in the district, visit the district’s FAQ webpage.
Holland said that the district’s safety measures work in concert to serve the school communities.
“The safety of our students and staff is our number one priority,” Holland wrote in the email to district families. “Although we wish that there were a simple or easy solution to guarantee safety, no such solution exists. Nothing is foolproof, that is why we apply layer upon layer of mitigations to do everything we can to keep our students and staff safe. We also need your help, partnership and support.”
Other security measures that have been added to Highland Park and Deerfield high schools in the last five years include:
• Security film: Should be installed on glass around school buildings by February 2024. The film limits the ability to access the building, even with gunfire, through glass windows and doors.
• Card readers on exterior doors: The card readers will expand to all exterior doors in the district and limit and monitor access both in and out. The additional readers reportedly will be operational in the second semester of this school year.
• Access control for classroom doors: Enables classrooms to be remotely locked and unlocked in an emergency. System is being tested and deployment expected in summer 2024.
• Building threat assessment: A step-by-step plan to respond to a potential emergency, details what to do when faced with a threat and “will hopefully allow a more timely response and appropriate actions to protect everyone,” Law said. Implementation and training underway.
• Enhanced security cameras: Use artificial intelligence/machine learning to identify a brandished weapon and issue an alert within seconds. Already in place.
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Joe Coughlin
Joe Coughlin is a co-founder and the editor in chief of The Record. He leads investigative reporting and reports on anything else needed. Joe has been recognized for his investigative reporting and sports reporting, feature writing and photojournalism. Follow Joe on Twitter @joec2319