A proposed resolution calling for the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) to support legislation that would provide school boards the option to decide if they would allow for properly trained staff members to be armed in school buildings as part of the districts’ overall student safety and protection plans was not adopted by the IASB delegate assembly in downtown Chicago.
The vote tally was 179 in favor of the adoption of the resolution, 203 against.
Districts opposing the measure opined that arming staff members would not create a safer environment for their students. The intention of the proposed resolution was to give school districts the authority to decide what is best for their communities in the areas of school safety and student protection. The resolution was supported primarily by rural school districts with concerns about emergency response time and lack of financial resources to employ school resource officers.
The assembly was held Saturday, Nov. 17 in conjunction with the 2018 Joint Annual Conference in Chicago.
—Illinois Association of School Boards