School District U46 will be upgrading door locks, conducting surprise security checks and planning more safety drills this year in an effort to step up building safety, the district’s director of safety and culture told the school board this week.
John Heiderscheidt said U46 already has 100 panic buttons and more than 600 surveillance cameras spread throughout the district, and police have 24/7 access to all U46 buildings in the case of emergencies.
The district is also in the process of equipping all classroom and staff bathroom doors with lockdown locks and keys, Heiderscheidt said. The project is in its last phase, with work being doing at the five high schools, he said.
Surprise security compliance checks to test staff knowledge of procedure protocols for entering schools are done on a consistent basis, Heiderscheidt said.