In wake of Michigan shooting, Illinois teachers union urges schools to take precautions
Weeks after four Michigan students were killed at their high school, Illinois’ largest teachers union is calling on school districts to comply with the 2019 School Threat Assessment Bill.
Illinois Education Association President Kathi Griffin spoke about new legislation the state’s largest union is working on with Rep. Fred Crespo (D) and Rep. Tony McCombie (R) in a press conference on Wednesday.
In 2019, the Illinois legislature passed the School Threat Assessment Bill, which was initiated by the Illinois Education Association and co-sponsored by Crespo and McCombie.
The 2019 law requires Illinois schools to develop a threat assessment team that makes crisis response plans and safety drill programs, including for “targeted school violence.” It also expanded the use of 1-cent county sales tax and bonds for school safety and mental health needs, including school resource officers and mental health professionals.
The new legislation, if passed, would require yearly reports from the threat assessment teams to the Regional Office of Education and Illinois State Board of Education, which Crespo and McCombie say would increase accountability. The legislation will not outline penalties for school districts that fail to comply.
Griffin said they did not have any data on how many schools are complying with the current laws. McCombie said the Regional Offices of Education that she spoke to said all of their districts were already complying.
Creep indicated that he believed most Illinois schools were probably already complying with the law.
“The genesis behind this bill is not to be punitive,” he said. “On the contrary, it’s to address the threat and identify it early.”
Creep also referenced news reports that officials and staff at Oxford High, at the edge of the Detroit metro area, could face legal consequences for not doing enough to prevent a school shooting Nov. 30 that left four students dead.
Hours before students were killed, the suspect, Ethan Crumbley, was brought to the school’s office after a teacher discovered a disturbing note described by law enforcement as depicting a gun, a bullet, a bleeding person, and a smiley face emoji with phrases including “The thoughts won’t stop, help me.”
After Crumbley’s parents reportedly refused to take him home following a meeting about the note, the 15-year-old returned to class. His parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, have been charged with four counts of manslaughter, according to MLive.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald has declined to dismiss the possibility of charges for Oxford school officials, according to NPR.
As of Wednesday, no criminal charges have been filed against the school, but two $100 million civil suits have been filed.
This year, union members of the Illinois Education Association are reporting increased violence in rural, suburban and urban schools alike, Griffin said. She attributed some of this to trauma from the pandemic, which also impacted the social skills of young children who were learning remotely.
Griffin, Crepo and McCombie each said they didn’t consider this legislation to be a political issue, but a public safety issue.