A school board meeting in Highland Park was held Tuesday evening to discuss results of a survey given to parents, students and staff members regarding safety in schools, particularly the potential addition of weapons detection systems and/or metal detectors.
The survey was administered to 840 parents, 225 staff members and 221 students, with results finding that metal detectors in schools was overwhelmingly supported.
The push for increased safety in local schools comes amid a lockdown at Highland Park High School earlier this spring for reports of a gun in the building as the suburb nears the one-year anniversary of the Highland Park 4th of July parade shooting.
Jim Hobart of Public Opinion Strategies told NBC Chicago that while there's overwhelming support for the addition of a weapons detection system, there is uncertainty on how the costs would be covered.
"There is hesitancy. It could require cutting funding for extracurricular activities," Hobart said.
Parents who attended the meeting demanded immediate action however, arguing that the school board had ample time to make security improvements following the July 4 shooting.
According to the survey, while weapons detection was widely supported among the respondents, students and staff showed strong opposition to the addition of metal detectors, with parents nearly split on the issue.
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More information on resources for school safety can be found on Illinois' campus safety resource center's website as well as the federal website.
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