You can watch his presentation below.
Mr. Simeck expressed the district's condolences and grief over the events that happened during the 4th of July parade in Highland Park. He expressed a thank you to our staff who leapt into action to help the community in various ways and many of our families who have been involved in various fundraisers, charitable efforts and other avenues and have his thanks.
Dr. Filippi discussed an overview of security in District 109. He stressed that we don't publicly release detailed emergency plans and procedures because doing so would diminsh their effectiveness. We do have plans and procedures centered around deterrence, detection, delay, and response.
-Public notices/signs on campus
-Crime prevention through environmental design
-Bollards and other physical barriers
-Exterior lighting that discourages unauthorized access
DETECTION
-Video surveillance accessible by staff and first responders
-Integrated PA systems
-Panic buttons
-Two way radios
-Access controls with visitor screening
DELAY
-Reinforced facility entries
-Bullet resistant glazing
RESPONSE
-Comprehensive national incident management system that has been deveklooped and vetted by security experts
-Staff trained in Dewey Cornell model
-Multiple means of monitoring district communications to identify red flags
Dr. Filippi noted that plans and procedures have been vetted by national security experts. We have consistency in plans and procedures with neighboring groups like the village and park district. FEA will have a study that will be done in short order. Every 3 weeks they (FEA) will be spending time in district to work on staffing/training.
Mr. Simeck said that gun violence is a public health crisis. He said that all of the measures Dr. Filippi mentioned, none were in place when he was a child. He said the government's first duty is to protect its citizenry and parents' instinct to protect their kids. He stressed that school is the safest place for children to be. Gun violence affects every aspect of every family's life. Mr. Simeck said that parental involvement is critical on this issue.
Mr. Simeck went over COVID protocols for the upcoming year, noting that the goal is to get the kids in and keep them in school. He also noted the following:
- There will be no daily COVID certification
- SHIELD testing will now be offered in a take-home format
- Symptomatic testing will no longer be offered outside the District Office, but at-home tests would be accepted
- Masking is optional, masks available on site for those who want them
- Individuals that test positive for COVID will be out for 5 days, and then required to wear a mask days 6-10 upon their return
- While notifications pertaining to every case won't happen, families will be notified if there's a situation in their child's class that could be considered an outbreak
DPS 109 reserves the right to adapt the above plan based on changing conditions and state or federal guidance during the school year.
Mr. Steckling described upcoming district communication, starting with a Back To School Checklist being released on August 2nd, followed by a welcome back email from principals on August 5th, and finally a communications test sent out on August 9th. (Note: this date was later changed to August 10th). He also noted that dps109.org had over 160,000 page views during the 2021-2022 school year, the highest on record for the district.
Mr. Simeck gave an update on mission/vision work. He said that the new mission and vision would begin to be installed in buildings shortly. The district's updated strategic plan will be shared at the August BOE meeting.
Mr. Simeck also shared pictures of the progress of the construction that took place over the summer at Caruso.
