PEORIA, Ill. – A relatively new state law was supposed to help local school districts with security.
Instead, it created another unfunded mandate.
The law was to provide state grant money to schools to help them map out their buildings so first responders can get to them more quickly.
But, the law wasn’t funded in the most recent state budget.
“It sort of puts us a little bit back,” Dr. George McKenna, Assistant Superintendent, Peoria Regional Office of Education, tells 25 News. “First responders will not have as much information and maybe won’t be as efficient with their time when they get on-site. What we know in these critical moments every second matters.”
Peoria County Assistant Regional Superintendent of Schools George McKenna tells 25 News his office will use leftover school safety funds, but that will help only eight or nine schools, at an estimated cost of $4,000 dollars per school.
Peoria Fire Chief Shawn Sollberger tells 25 News his department will just do the best they can with what they already know about local schools.
“We’ll do the school drills, we’ll do the walkthroughs, we’ll do the training as much as physically possible within those facilities but it’s very challenging,” said Sollberger, to 25 News.
The funding the ROE plans on using is in addition to money already spent on school safety at various facilities.
