Schools
Dolton 149 Rolls Out $1 Million Security Plan in All Schools
The district, which serves 2,622 students, has increased its 2019-2020 security budget from $748,400 to $960,000.
(Calumet City, IL) – Seeking to be proactive to avoid risks or incidents, a new safety and security plan has been rolled out at all six school buildings of south suburban Dolton School District 149.
The plan approved by the Dolton 149 Board of Education authorizes the district to hire off-duty Calumet City and other local police officers as security at each of the district’s six school buildings. Starting on November 1, an off-duty police officer will be stationed in each school and two at The Middle School, reinforcing the district’s existing 13-person security force.
The district, which serves 2,622 students, has increased its 2019-2020 security budget from $748,400 to $960,000.
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In addition to hiring off-duty police for each school, the district has placed each school on a “soft lock down” for the indefinite future. Students are no longer allowed to leave the building during the school day, a measure that is supported by parents, according to school officials.
School board is being pro-active, forward-thinking, says district’s top elected official.
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“We can’t teach the kids if they don’t feel safe,” said Board President Darlene Gray Everett. “We want them to feel safe, nurtured when they are at school and we want to get ahead of any potential trouble – we want to be pro-active – so that’s why we are hiring off-duty police for each school and why we have imposed a soft-lock down, which is supported by our parents.”
Other security measures that have been implemented include: security cameras inside and outside each school; metal detectors in each school; fixed start and end times for all personnel entering and leaving school facilities; and police presence at all evening meetings and events (e.g. parent-teacher conferences, etc).
District seeks “welcoming environment,” according to the district’s top administrator.
“Security measures have been expanded throughout the school system in order to create an improved learning and welcoming environment for students, parents, staff, and teachers,” said Superintendent Dr. Shelly Davis-Jones. “We have taken these steps not in response to any incident at our schools, but to be proactive in order to avoid any potential incidents.”
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