Champaign Schools Safety and Renovations

A little bit of a round up. WCIA's Illinois Homepage had a video and article on coming security upgrades:

Schools work on safety, security improvements
MAHOMET, MONTICELLO, and CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) -- Over the last several months, districts across the state have been working on adding safety and security improvements.

Those include things like safe rooms, cameras, school resource officers, and advanced staff training. Some had these upgrades planned for a long time. For others, they're coming just as the subject of school safety has become a bigger concern than it used to be.

This fall, Mahomet-Seymour's first and second graders will be taught at Middletown Prairie Elementary for the first time.

"The whole building has been designed around the best practices of school safety," says Superintendent Lindsey Hall.

She says that's one of the perks that came with constructing a new building.

"We have safe rooms, we have a gym that's a FEMA-rated storm shelter, we've got an entryway that's designed around the best practices of how we let visitors into the building." 

While that's great for the kids that will walk those halls, we don't need to tell you older schools don't have the same "Fort Knox" factor...

And Champaign schools are working with police on a plan to involve students in active shooter drills. They're also looking into giving their staff trauma and mental health first aid training.

Full article here with parent interviews and concerns.

There was also news on the breaking ground of one of the first referendum items for Unit 4. Also from WCIA:

School improvement project breaks ground
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) - It's been a long time coming, but now people are finally seeing the results of their "yes" votes more than a year ago.

Crews have broken ground on Tommy Stewart Field.

It's right behind Centennial High School in Champaign.

It's more than just a construction project.

It's a visual for voters, because now they can see the thumbs up they gave the school district bringing some tangible results...

There will be an official groundbreaking for Tommy Stewart Field on May 22nd.

Most phases of construction on the different Champaign schools will start late this fall or early next year.

All of them are expected to be done by 2022.

More at the full article here. The News-Gazette had a similar article here.