Safety and Security at D127
At Grayslake District 127, our number one priority is ensuring a safe and welcoming environment for all students, staff, and visitors.
Each school has a safety team, and all staff receives documentation outlining emergency procedures. Throughout the year, schools perform various safety drills including fire, bus evacuation, severe weather, building evacuation, and lockdown. All schools conduct lockdown drills during which students and staff practice emergency procedures. These lockdown procedures are evaluated for improvements after each drill. Following research into current best practices, we will update our armed intruder response protocols in 2022/23.
To ensure schools are prepared to proactively handle the threat of an intruder or active shooter, all administrators and teachers will be trained in ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate). Find frequently asked questions related to ALICE here.
For many years, each school has employed a School Resource Officer (SRO) to serve in buildings as their primary duty every day. These Grayslake Police Officers work collaboratively with our Student Support Teams consisting of Deans, School Counselors, Social Workers, and School Psychologists. In addition to providing security for the buildings, we value these officers’ expertise and ability to form relationships with staff and students. The district also employs numerous security personnel, who keep a watchful eye over the people in our care.
District 127 has also made a significant investment in security infrastructure and communication systems. For example, a robust camera system allows immediate visual access to all parts of the school buildings for our administration and school security personnel. More changes and improvements are coming shortly, and we will provide more information about these enhancements as they are completed.