IASB Delegates vote against resolution to support legislation to arm school staff

BY DANI TIETZ
dani@mahometnews.com

Delegates of the Illinois Association of School Boards, a lobbying group that advocates for education policy in the Illinois state legislature, voted against a measure on Saturday that would call for the group to support the development of legislation that would allow school staff to be trained and armed on school grounds. 

The vote tally was 198 in favor of and 249 against the resolution that was proposed by Mercer County School District 404 for the second year. 

In 2018, the IASB delegates voted 203-179 against the resolution. 

On May 16, 2018 the Mercer County School Board members passed a resolution to push for legislation that would permit boards to allow staff to conceal carry with a vote of 4-1.

The resolution was supported primarily by rural school districts with concerns about emergency response time and lack of financial resources to employ school resource officers. 

Districts opposing the measure opined that arming staff would not create a safer environment for their students. 

The Mahomet-Seymour School board voted on Nov. 18 to oppose the measure.

McComb said that the IASB was in favor of the measure because it gave control to local school boards, but he didn’t believe that the Mahomet-Seymour School District would ever put a policy in place to allow staff to conceal carry. 

Schultz, too, said that she believes in local control, but from what the board members had heard the last month, Mahomet-Seymour residents were not in favor of the State of Illinois passing legislation to allow school districts decide on that control.

“I feel like government is too big and too overreaching,” she said. “And I also don’t believe that the solution to the gun violence problem we have is to take guns away mentally healthy law-abiding citizens. 

So when I read a policy like this, I’m inclined to say yes; let’s let the locals control.” 

The individuals who showed up at the school board meetings and wrote letters to the school board members with compelling arguments caught Schultz’ attention, though. 

“They led me to things that I thought more about and researched,” she said. “Things like police officers have so much training, and still freeze up, the accidental raids.

“I think about how I’m supposed to be a representative of the community, and I have not heard anyone to ask me vote yes, “I’ve heard a lot of people ask me to vote no with really reasoned arguments.”

Schultz said that it might be worth looking into other measures to ensure student safety, like metal detectors, locking all school doors and taking care of the mental health of students in the district’s care.

Additional resolutions that were brought forth to the delegates and signaled to IASB to support legislation include:

• legislation amending sections of statute that regulate contracting out for services to allow school districts to consider any goals set to address social responsibility, including preferences for businesses owned by minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and veterans, in selecting companies to service contracts.
• the creation and funding of a school safety grant program at the state level that would assist school districts in the hiring of School Resource Officers (SROs) or school security personnel for the protection of students and staff.
• allow any school district who previously established a professional police force to re-establish a police force with all the duties and responsibilities of local law enforcement agencies.
• encourage legislation that will develop a centralized process for Regional Superintendent Offices to submit certification results for each other to use in the hiring process for substitute teachers in their respective region.
•  increased traffic-calming measures in front of all schools that could include but not be limited to: 1. Reduced speed limits to 20 mph or less within one block of the school from any direction on all federally designated municipal routes or Illinois Department of Transportation designated local roads 2. Enhanced speed limit signs to increase motorist awareness 3. Increased police enforcement of school zones, where feasible for local law enforcement agencies 4. Other traffic-calming measures that mitigate speeds and cut-through traffic in neighborhoods (eg. striping, islands, speed bumps, etc.) 5. Removing the designation “during school hours when children are present” from traffic signs or implementing other warning systems to accommodate after-school activities and use of facilities (eg. playgrounds).
• newly elected candidates, who have been elected uncontested, to be sworn in or affirmed at the next regularly scheduled board meeting or special meeting, held at least 14 days after the Consolidated Election. 
• all school districts having a population of not more than 500,000 shall serve four-year terms and be seated at the first board meeting held at least 14 days following the school board election
• adoption of legislation that defines the special expectations of State Authorized Charter Schools to educate at-risk students, including the requirement that the State Authorized Charter School’s program and operations be specifically designed to attract and service at-risk students, and that the State Authorized Charter School be required to report to the public its progress in achieving these expectations.
• urge the adoption of legislation that defines the special expectations of State Authorized Charter Schools to educate at-risk students, including the requirement that the State Authorized Charter School’s program and operations be specifically designed to attract and service at-risk students, and that the State Authorized Charter School be required to report to the public its progress in achieving these expectations.
• urge adoption of legislation that allows for participation of the host school district in the charter school renewal process for State Authorized Charter Schools.

Each resolution was originally proposed by a local school board, reviewed by a 21-member Resolutions Committee, and then brought before the Delegate Assembly for any discussion and vote. 

The adopted resolutions set IASB’s policies and establish the legislative direction of the Association and its member districts.