One board member of School District U46 wonders if U46’s elementary schools are safe, since they don’t have full-time police officers assigned to them like the six high schools and eight middle schools do.
That question was raised at the last U46 board meeting by board member Jeanette Ward, who noted that the district recently renewed its contracts with local police departments to provide school resource officers for each high school and middle school.
“I’m concerned. How do we protect our elementary students?” Ward said. She noted that Wayne Elementary School is almost next door to the village police station.
CEO Tony Sanders said hiring a police officer for every kindergarten-through-sixth-grade school would be a major expense. He noted that the schools have updated their surveillance cameras and door-access systems, and also have “strong relationships” with local police departments.
John Heiderscheidt, U46’s director of safety and school culture, said beat cops with the Hanover Park Police Department drop in daily at each Hanover Park school to say hello. He said each Elgin elementary school has a “contact” on the police force whom they can call in case of a problem “and they do that on a frequent basis.” And he said the Streamwood and Bartlett police forces have strong DARE anti-drug programs in the lower schools.
In a any case, Heiderscheidt said, school resource officers at a school “do not sit at the door, working security. That is not their role and their purpose.”
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