Leadership Matters - May 2013

Matters MAY 2 0 1 3 I ASA MONTHLY NEWSLETTER Leadership

Lessons Learned from school crisis situations

In this month’s issue

Additional Items  Superintendents practice servant leadership P. 17  Moon Scholarship award winners, P. 19  How school districts  IASA members approve new combined Governmental & Advocacy Committee P. 20  Getting to Know your IASA Board members, P. 21  IASA Calendar of Events, P. 22  Member News from the Regions, P. 23  College & Career Acceleration Summer Institute planned, P. 24  ISDLAF+ Update, P. 24 can use the lease fund law P. 20

Lessons learned from school crisis situations Pages 4—13

General Assembly action starting to heat up P. 15

Bringing Positive Closure to your school year, P. 16

Cover Photo by David Proeber courtesy of The Pantagraph Matt Chapman, a teacher at Normal Community High School, evacuates students to Eastview Christian Church after gunfire at the high school Friday, September 7, 2012. Shots rang out in a classroom after a single student shot into a ceiling. No one was injured.

2648 Beechler Court Springfield, IL 62703-7305 217.753.2213 800 Woodfield Road, Ste. F109 Schaumburg, IL 60173-4717 847.466.5075

IASA Newsletter Editor Michael Chamness mchamness@iasaedu.org

Assistant Editor Mary Ellen Buch mbuch@iasaedu.org

1200 West Main Street Marion, IL 62959-1138 618.364.0501

Volume 1, Issue 5

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Message from the Executive Director: Survey shows school districts hurting

By Dr. Brent Clark

Your responses to our recent budget cut survey provided us with some valuable information regarding the situation superintendents are facing across the state. Extrapolating the results from the 168 responses we received (a +/- 6.5% statistical margin of error), the state’s budget cuts to General State Aid and Transportation, if they stand as proposed, will result in as many as 4,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions being cut by school districts in Illinois. This would be in addition to staff cuts districts already have imposed the past few years as state funding and local revenues have shrunk to historic proportions. IASA is extending an invitation for regions to come to Springfield on May 15 for what we are calling “Education Impact Day” to talk with legislators about increasing funding for public education. The Southwestern and Wabash Valley Regions are scheduled to be at the capitol. For more information, please click here . Unfunded mandates are causing additional fiscal pain and an inordinate amount of paperwork as well as hamstringing the ability for school leaders to make local decisions that are in the best interests of their students. “It is our strong belief that the decisions on how to provide the best educational opportunities in this economic environment require flexibility and should be made at the local level taking into account the unique situations and needs in communities .” The survey indicated that the Special Education mandates are costing school districts as much as $180 million (an average of more than $241,000 per district) more than they are receiving to implement the Special Education mandates. That’s one reason we were happy that State Superintendent Dr. Chris Koch proposed rules changes that would provide flexibility at the local level to determine what appropriate class size and ratios should be. We are hopeful that ISBE will approve those recommendations by Dr. Koch, who has an

extensive background as a special education administrator, despite heavy opposition to the proposed changes. We believe those recommendations would help provide better educational opportunities for all students, including special education students. The survey indicated that statewide the Physical Education mandates are costing up to $70 million, an average of more than $88,000. The Certified School Nurse mandate – another unfunded mandate for which Dr. Koch has proposed some relief – would cost up to $35 million, or more than $44,000 per district. The cost for Driver’s Education was about $34 million statewide. Add those mandates up and we’re talking about some $320 million, or an average of more than $400,000 per school district – and those are just a few of the more than 100 unfunded mandates for school districts in Illinois. Combine that with the previously mentioned cuts to GSA and Transportation and you can see why school districts across the state are looking at major layoffs and cuts to programs. At a time when state funding is being cut so dramatically, it would seem to make sense to offer school districts relief from some of these mandates. That wouldn’t cost the state any money. It is our strong belief that the decisions on how to provide the best educational opportunities in this economic environment require flexibility and should be made at the local level taking into account the unique situations and needs in communities.

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Lessons Learned

‘Shots have been fired!’ McLean County school administrators share their crisis response lessons Cover Photo by David Proeber courtesy of The Pantagraph Matt Chapman, a teacher at Normal Community High School, evacuates students to Eastview Christian Church after gunfire at the high school Friday, September 7, 2012. Shots rang out in a classroom after a single student shot into a ceiling. No one was injured.

had been practiced. Nonetheless, that call set off a chain of events on September 7, 2012, that had McLean County school administrators in a crisis response mode for several hours. The experience yielded some valuable lessons learned. Dr. Gary Niehaus, superintendent of the central Illinois district that includes more than 13,600 students in two high schools, four junior highs and 16 elementary schools, acknowledges that preparedness and luck both played a role in the successful evacuation, communication and reunification processes that day. “The good news, of course, is that no one was injured. We know that if there had been an injury (Continued on page 5)

By Michael Chamness IASA Director of Communications

The first call came shortly after 8 a.m. with words dreaded by school administrators everywhere: “Shots have been fired!” The call came from an electrician at Normal Community High School to the director of operations for McLean County Unit School District 5. A student had fired shots into the ceiling of a classroom where he was holding classmates hostage. The incident ended quickly when the shooter placed the gun down and a teacher grabbed the gun and then tackled the student. No school district could have been better prepared in terms of having an emergency plan that

4

McLean story ——————————————————

Lessons Learned

Community. Two students are in custody. We are working with Normal Police Department and more details of this very troubling incident will be available later today. There has been no threat to any other school. Normal Community students are relocating to Eastview, but all other schools are experiencing a normal school day. We will share details as they become available.” The message – the first of six sent that day -- was transmitted using School Reach, the district’s automated phone call system, as well as email and Twitter and also was posted on the district’s website. The quick dissemination of information

(Continued from page 4)

the dynamics of dealing with parents, students and the media that day might have been completely different,” Niehaus said. Despite some pushback, active shooter evacuation drills involving students had been conducted in the McLean County district. “Some of our schools did not want to do drills that included students. I think it is a major mistake not to include kids in the drills,” Niehaus said. When Normal Community High School went into lockdown mode, some students were caught between classes and locked out of their classrooms.

Because they knew the drill, the students self-evacuated to the pre-designated site. Niehaus said he thinks students knowing how to react to a crisis situation outweighs the possibility that potential student perpetrators might learn something strategic from the exercises.

“ The days of holding everything until you have a nice package of information are gone. With all of the social media and a 24- hour news cycle, the news is out there instantly . ” - - Dayna Brown, District 5 Communications Director

later was praised by the Bloomington Pantagraph, which wrote: Communications technology has altered the landscape when it comes to episodes like the one at Normal Community High School. School officials used it promptly to communicate what happened and what was being done to ensure student safety. They really had no choice because students were spreading what they knew to parents and others, using their own digital devices. That’s the way it is today, a game-changer. Many (probably thousands) of people knew almost immediately after the shots were fired in a classroom that something was amiss. Worry mushroomed, sketchy information — not all of it accurate — spread and the demand for more information sharpened. Thankfully, school officials were up to the task, using mass emails and phone calls to push information to parents and the media as soon as they had basic facts nailed down. There were some glitches, but by-and-large, it worked well. Then they

District administrators were gathering for their weekly cabinet meeting on that Friday morning and were able to be immediately dispatched to Normal Community High, where the police command center was being established, and to Eastview Church, the evacuation and reunification site. Niehaus and Communications Director Dayna Brown set up a communications center at the district office. Getting information to parents was an urgent priority. “The days of holding everything until you have a nice package of information are gone,” said Brown, a former reporter and editor with the Peoria Journal Star. “With all of the social media and a 24-hour news cycle, the news is out there instantly.” The first message from the school district was sent to parents at 8:30 a.m. and said: “This is to inform you of lockdown situation this morning at Normal Community High School. I want to start by saying that all students are safe, as that is always our number one priority. Early this morning a student fired shots into the ceiling at Normal

(Continued on page 6)

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McLean story ————————————————————

Lessons Learned

“It is not a simple process and we had to go slow before we could go fast,” said Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Nathaniel Cunningham Jr., adding that administrators had not considered the issue of students who were 18 years of age being able to sign themselves out. “A few students asked about that, but no one pushed the issue.” Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum Dr. Sandy Wilson was dispatched to the evacuation/ reunification site and got that process under control even though it was described as a “work in progress.”

(Continued from page 5)

used a new, easy-to-update website to inform and assure those who went looking for information. Local and area high schools generally, though sometimes unofficially, allow students to bring cell phones to school, but insist they remain off and out- of-sight during school hours. But texting and tweeting takes place. Sometimes the technology is incorporated into classroom instruction. Parents like the connection it provides. What’s clear is there’s no putting the tech genie back in the bottle, even though it can be as

Niehaus said the key was everyone being patient -- a byproduct of the fact that all of the students were safe. “Once parents heard that everyone was okay, they were willing to stand in line as long as they needed to,” Niehaus said. “We had principals and teachers also standing in that line. Everyone was equal that day. We had talked about the theory of reunification, but we found that we need to tighten the

disruptive as it is useful. We’re long past the days when parents had to wait until everyone gathered at the dinner table to ask, “What happened at school today?” There was one technological hiccup. “Our first automated calls went to home phones and many people were not at home,” Brown said. “We now have set up a separate crisis phone list that includes all of the phone numbers on a student’s emergency contact list.” Other lessons learned centered around the reunification process,

“ What’s clear is there’s no putting the tech genie back in the bottle, even though it can be as disruptive as it is useful. We’re long past the days when parents had to wait until everyone gathered at the dinner table to ask, ‘What happened at school today? ’ ” -- From Bloomington Pantagraph editorial praising McLean County District 5’s response

coordination with police agencies, communications issues, media relations and school security upgrades. Reunification a ‘work in progress’ The district had developed a reunification plan, but nothing could have prepared administrators for the real thing involving some 1,900 students. Some parents had to wait in line for hours to pick up their children, and students could only be released to the parents or guardians listed on the students’ emergency contact forms. One delay was the need to create a form for parents or guardians to sign to pick up their children. The district now has forms ready to go the next time there is a need for reunification.

process.” Providing separate rooms for students with disabilities and making sure there is proper wheelchair access for the evacuation site are other issues that must be taken into consideration during the planning process, the district’s administrators noted. Coordination with law enforcement agencies important to avoid surprises Some local police agencies had been involved in emergency exercises with the schools, but challenges still cropped up, including the important question of who is in charge when several different police agencies respond.

(Continued on page 7)

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McLean story ——————————————————

Lessons Learned

we did not have to deal with having school the next morning, but I thought it was really important for kids to be able to go back into the school that day so they could see that nothing was scary or different,” Niehaus said. “We had to keep pressing law enforcement officials, but we finally got in. It seemed to really settle the kids and parents to get back in and see the building.” Phones were not reliable means of communications Two-way communications become vital in a lockdown and evacuation scenario, and phones were not a dependable source of communications “ It is not a simple process and we had to go slow before we could go fast . ” - Assistant Superintendent Nathaniel Cunningham, Jr. talking about the reunification process involving 1,900 students

(Continued from page 6)

Because the Bloomington-Normal community has a population of more than 100,000 and sits at the intersection of Interstates 55, 74 and 39, there are several police agencies in the immediate area. The police response was swift and involved no fewer than five police agencies – and included different protocols than what was in the school district’s emergency plans. “School officials need to understand that every local, county and state police officer in the vicinity is going to respond,” said Niehaus, who estimated that more than 80 officers arrived at the scene. “We were surprised how fast they

got there. In the few minutes it took for our people to get from the district office to the high school a roadblock already had been set up.” That wasn’t the only surprise. Because it is not something that ever

because of busy signals and reception problems in certain parts of the three main sites involved (the school building, the evacuation/reunification center and the district office). The district since has invested in two-way radios and a repeater system that not only provide communications capabilities among school administrators, but the radios also are interoperable with the radio systems used by law enforcement agencies. The incident also caused school officials to rethink district policy regarding allowing students to carry cell phones. Some students were carrying cell phones that day and they proved to be beneficial by allowing the students to communicate with their parents, adding to the calm. Now, by policy, students are allowed to carry cell phones for use in non-instructional settings. Niehaus said the district also is going to set up a text messaging system to keep students informed during an incident. One novel method of communication that emerged was that the school’s messages also were announced at State Farm, the largest employer in the Bloomington-Normal region.

is practiced at most schools, students and even some faculty and staff were alarmed to see police officers enter the building in full gear with their weapons drawn and pointed as they began their sweep of the classrooms. Plans called for faculty members to take their crisis folders with them, but police officers would not allow anyone to carry anything as they cleared the building. Keeping a copy of the master list of students, faculty and staff at the evacuation sites and a way to track absentees off-site was another lesson learned. Plans also called for buses to transport students to the evacuation site, but Niehaus said State Police apparently decided that no buses would be allowed past the barricades around the school. “In addition to the training we do with our local police, we learned that we need to have more contact with State Police,” Niehaus said. Finally, getting back into the school building to retrieve items that students had been forced to leave during the evacuation proved to be a difficult negotiation. Even though the incident had taken place in just one classroom, investigators viewed the whole building as a crime scene. “We were lucky that it happened on a Friday so

(Continued on page 8)

7

“ Some of our schools did not want to do drills that included students. I think it is a major mistake not to include kids in the drills… The good news, of course, is that no one was

Lessons Learned

injured. We know that if there had been an injury the dynamics of dealing with parents, students and the media that day might have been completely different ” - - Dr. Gary C. Niehaus, superintendent of McLean County Unit District 5

McLean story ——————————————————

bad information, and also to make sure the media is receiving information from a consistent school source. He said the media covered the event in a way that was responsible and also helped to get the word out that no one had been injured – the most important fact of the entire episode. “Like I said, if someone had been injured, I don’t know if people would have been so calm,” Niehaus said. Security issues revisited after incident Administrators in the McLean County school district have spent the months following the shooting incident upgrading their emergency response plans and also taking a new look at things such as:  Keeping the school building entrances locked at all times.  Having adults and perhaps even students wear ID badges. The Normal Police Department after- action recommendations included having school district custodians, maintenance and delivery personnel wear ID badges.  Both Normal Community and Normal West high schools are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on most school days, meaning that they are open longer than security guards are available. Restricting access to certain parts of the buildings now is in place.  While the outside security of the district’s buildings is pretty solid with locked access doors and security cameras, administrators have been rethinking security inside the buildings, including adding thumb locks to doors that did not have them and considering requiring students’ backpacks to be of the see-through mesh variety.

(Continued from page 7)

“As many people did, State Farm called and offered to help in any way they could. We asked them to make our announcements there because so many of our parents are employed there. It’s something to think about in communities that have a large employer like that,” Brown said. Communications inside Normal Community High were limited for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was security driven. “We don’t make announcements in the school during something like this because you don’t know if someone is making an announcement under duress, and our plan is not to have students just evacuate if someone pulls a fire alarm,” Brown said. During a school shooting years ago in Jonesboro, Arkansas, the perpetrators pulled a fire alarm and then shot students as they filed out of the school building. Instead, the McLean County district’s response plan is predicated on the use of codes. Managing media relations equal parts luck and planning Probably the best move administrators made with regard to keeping the media informed was to schedule a 1 p.m. press conference at the district office, a few miles away from the school and the evacuation/reunification site. The press had swarmed outside the reunification site in the first few hours looking for students to interview. “Having the press conference here kind of drew everyone away from the reunification site. They missed a lot of the dismissal of students from that site,” Niehaus said. “The timing was a little luck and a little planning.” Niehaus said holding regular press briefings is a must to combat the normal spread of rumors and

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Death of students proves challenging for all involved

Lessons Learned

By Jay Plese Superintendent of Wilmington District 209U It is a good idea to always have current contact names and phone numbers for the Mayor, Police Chief, Fire Chief, County Sherriff, and any other community leaders with whom you would need to stay in touch during an emergency situation. Have them programmed into your cell phone and be sure that someone else in your office has access to them for you as well. This is a proactive step that can save valuable time when a crisis occurs and you need to start gathering information from authorities. When a crisis occurs Building Principals, Assistant Principals, Guidance Counselors, Psychologists, Social Workers, School Nurse, anyone else whose presence may be considered appropriate. Consult your existing crisis plan, if one exists. At this meeting it is important to gather information on the students directly involved, such as names, ages, parents’ phone numbers, siblings’ names and their grade levels if also attending in the school district, and as much information as possible on the incident that prompted assembling the crisis team. Also at this meeting, identify who the leaders will be at each building within your district. This is a critical part of the communication plan. The Superintendent and each building leader (Principal, Guidance Counselor, etc.) should be one another’s primary sources of information and all communication should go from the Superintendent to the Building Leader and then to the rest of the staff. Select one person to whom all outside requests for information are directed, and decide what your District’s initial response to inquiries will be. For example, when the media started calling us, we said: “We are unable to comment at this time but plan to release whatever information we can by 2 o’clock this afternoon.” We then told the media that we did not know if we would release a written statement or hold a live press conference, and advised them to call us back at noon to find out. 1. Assemble a crisis team and prepare them for action Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent,

Finally, upon leaving this meeting (if it has not already been done), someone should lock / secure the lockers of the students involved in the incident. No one should have access to their items except for administrators. Don’t forget to secure the contents of gym lockers (often shared with another student), musical instrument lockers, art room project storage areas, etc. 2. Seek professional guidance The second step will be for the Superintendent to contact the attorney for the School District, and then the IASA in order to develop appropriate Alert Now messages and press releases. You will need both. Be sensitive to the timing of critical events before releasing information to anyone, including students while they are at school that day. For example, you should get confirmation from law enforcement officials that family members have been officially notified of loss of life before calling them to express your condolences. The local Coroner’s Office is responsible for officially releasing identities of decedents, so it is wise to wait until after that confirmation is made before publicly referring to specific aspects of a victim’s identity -- even if everyone already knows thanks to social media and word-of-mouth. Associated Press photo Students from Wilmington High School hold a candlelight memorial for fellow students who died in an accident .

(Continued on page 10)

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Loss of multiple students story —————————

Lessons Learned

(Continued from page 9)

“ In the end, the best thing that leaders can provide in a time of crisis is a sense of calm accompanied by clear direction for

3. Communication The third step is to reach out to other necessary parties (Board of Education, Administrators, families, etc.) to share some basic information or express condolences. Do this when you have some time after the initial assessment of the situation has taken place and confirmation of identities has been received from Law Enforcement officials.

staff and the community. The compassion and respect that you show is what you will eventually be judged upon when your reactions to the situation are evaluated . ”

- Superintendent Jay Plese, Wilimington District 209U

Determine where the press conference will be held. My recommendation is that it not occur on school property. 5. Assistance in a crisis The fifth step is to begin filtering who, what, when, where, and how you will use whatever is being offered. Prepare yourself to be inundated with offers that come in all at once. In your desire to do the right thing, deciding what to accept and what not to accept can become overwhelming. This process comes down to a balancing act from the heart as to what to take and what to decline. It is leadership laced with compassion. For example, we accepted the help of counselors from neighboring school districts and a local hospital in the days after the tragedy we experienced. We politely declined the offer made by our bus company to transport our students to memorial services because our counselors advised us that this would not be in the student’s best interest. Although it was a nice gesture by the bus company, the counselors felt that students should be accompanied by a parent or guardian for support when attending a memorial service for a classmate. Closing Thoughts In the end, the best thing that leaders can provide in a time of crisis is a sense of calm accompanied by clear direction for staff and the community. The compassion and respect that you show is what you will eventually be judged upon when your reactions to the situation are evaluated.

When families are contacted, try to be as sensitive and delicate as possible throughout the conversation. It is a good idea to ask about their wishes for dissemination of information about their children, including the following issues:  Would they like the school to release a current yearbook picture to the media, if asked?  Would they be interested in accepting donations from the community (food, counseling, memorial gifts, money, etc.)?  If so, can we have a contact number to offer to groups seeking to give assistance?  Would they like the school to clean out their student’s lockers for them? If so, identify a secure area in the school office where families can collect their student’s belongings. 4. Release of information The fourth step will be to set a time for a press conference and give adequate time for a message to be developed containing the appropriate facts. If possible, try to allow for no more than 3 to 6 hours of lapse time. Plan to work closely with the authorities to determine facts, assess conclusions drawn, and agree upon the best way to release the information (who speaks about what issues, etc.)

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School Safety:   From Cleveland to Newtown 

Lessons Learned

encourage students to take ownership of their schools and education. Bullying is a symptom, and mental health is the issue . Bullying is a hot topic and often is blamed for many of the heinous actions that result in deaths. Bullying is serious and needs to be addressed. Some experts today do not see bullying as a cause, but rather as a symptom of a mental health problem. In fact, bullying is often mentioned as a cause for violence even when it is not, as Columbine. Issues such as mental illness, depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety, anger, family

By Dr. Stephen Sroka  I  dealt with school violence before it was fashionable and funded. To me, any child killed anywhere, anytime is a huge tragedy. But decades ago, when children were killed in the inner city of Cleveland, you probably never heard about them. But when the killings moved to the suburbs, such as Columbine, they became national news. The Newtown shootings shocked this country like no other school violence. Now, school violence prevention is front page-news everywhere. Working with school safety for over 30 years, I have tried to help schools and

violence and substance abuse are often at the root of such destructive behaviors. Treat the illness, not the symptom . Many professionals would like to provide a comprehensive mental health approach for the schools, families, and community. Perhaps depression screening for all students may prove to be more helpful in identifying those at risk of hurting themselves as well as others. Some experts are now

communities keep our youth safe and healthy so that they can learn more and live better. I offer several lessons that I have learned. School violence can happen anywhere, but not here. After school shootings, it is often heard, "I cannot believe that it can happen here." As we have learned, school violence can happen anywhere. But don’t be surprised after the next tragedy if someone says, "I cannot believe that it can happen here." Denial is human.

Dr. Stephen Sroka discussing how to talk to young children about tragedies.

suggesting that teachers be taught mental health first aid to assist those in crisis. As we often see, hurt people, hurt people ; and the use of mental health professionals, such as, school counselors, school social workers, school nurses, school psychologists, as well as, school resource officers may enable us to help people, help people . Building relationships is key . We may need more metal detectors, but we must have more student detectors. The Secret Service found that school shooters usually tell other kids, but not adults. Adults trusted by kids may be given life-saving information. We need to put a human face on school safety. Teaching to the heart, as well as, to the head to reach the whole child, not only academically, but also to the social, mental, emotional, physical and spiritual dimensions, will help build a school and community of respect. Social emotional learning can help students learn in a safe environment. We often (Continued on page 12)

Be prepared, not scared . Schools are not powerless. Awareness, education, and advocacy can help break down this attitude that it can’t happen here. Schools and districts need to have a school- community emergency plan of action in place for students, staff, and parents. It should be both practiced and proactive. Practice drills are crucial. Denial allows violence to grow unseen. Preparation allows violence to be dealt with as soon as it is seen. Social media has changed how we communicate. Texts, tweets, and Facebook posts, which were not around at the time of the Columbine shootings, now offer instant information --and misinformation. Before problems occur, students need to be part of a dialogue with parents and educators about how schools can responsibly use social media to make schools safer. Social media may prove to be one of the best new tools to help keep our schools safe and parents informed, and to

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School safety from Cleveland to Newtown —————————

Lessons Learned

(Continued from page 11)

School safety has entered uncharted waters. When I started working in school safety decades ago, the weapon of choice for school violence was a box cutter or knife. Now it is automatic weapons. What will be next? The unthinkable is now doable, and probably unpreventable. The Newtown shootings raise disturbing issues and questions. Controversial approaches, which once would have been considered ridiculous, are now being debated, such as arming teachers and having teachers and students take out the shooter by any means possible. Guns, metal detectors, mental health issues, zero tolerance, and other emotional issues make for complex and difficult decisions. A voice of reason is often lost in the heat of hysteria. There are no guarantees, only intelligent alternatives. Today we are better prepared to deal with and prevent school violence than we were in the earlier days in Cleveland and Columbine. There still is no 100% guarantee that our schools will be violence-free. There are no easy solutions, but there are intelligent alternatives to reduce the risks. It's time for all schools to explore these alternatives. For some, tomorrow may be too late.

say to police officers that you have a more powerful weapon in your heart than in your holster, to make your school safer. School safety needs to be built in, not tacked on. Students respond to people, not programs. You cannot mandate kindness, but you can nurture it by building relationships with communication, collaboration, cultural awareness, and caring. Words can kill, and words can give life. You choose. When kindness fails, you need to be aggressive, forceful, and effective. An emergency plan of action needs to be in place, practiced and proactive. Teachers and students should be trained and allowed to practice lockdown drills. Parents need a low-tech and high-tech communication system for responding to school emergencies. Gone are the days of Columbine when police waited for hours to enter the school. Today police and community emergency response teams are trained to take out the shooter ASAP. Healing is personal. Schools need to be prepared to deal with the consequences of violence immediately and long after the incident. Individuals react to grief in a wide a range of ways, and there is no best way to grieve. Where some people need to process the grief immediately, others need to be left alone. Grief has no specific timeline for everyone.

© 2013 Stephen R. Sroka, Ph.D, Lakewood, Ohio. Used with permission.

Dr. Stephen Sroka is an adjunct assistant professor at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and the president of Health Education Consultants. He has worked on school violence issues worldwide for more than 30 years. Dr. Sroka is an award winning educator (Disney Health Teacher of the Year, National Teachers Hall of Fame), author (Educator's Guide to HIV/AIDS and other STD's ), and has presented to students and adults, as well as keynoting major conferences around the world dealing with mental health, bullying, school safety, brain-based learning, at-risk students, alternative education, parenting, dropout prevention, and leadership and relationship building for schools, families and communities. You can contact Dr. Sroka on his website www.DrStephenSroka.com or by e-mail at drssroka@aol.com.

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Improving school safety through information sharing Illinois Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center launches program for schools

Lessons Learned

training held at the University of Illinois at Springfield May 22 – 24 called STEP (School Threat Evaluation Program). This specialized training seminar will include:  An introduction to school K-12 threat assessments led by Barry Spodak, who has served for 30 years as a training consultant to the nation’s elite law enforcement agencies in the field of threat assessments  Tips on how to do open-source research and dig

In response to the Sandy Hook massacre that took 26 innocent lives and many other school shootings across the United States, Illinois is fighting back. Spawning from the Governor’s summit on school safety in January, Illinois is starting the first program in the country to improve information sharing between the intelligence center, schools, and law enforcement to improve continued effort in preventing attacks. The Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence

Center, known as the STIC, is the state’s designated fusion center. It is a collaboration of state and federal governments created to look at all crimes and all hazards in order to protect the public. STIC has been fully functional since May 2003 as one of the first round-the-clock state fusion centers to emerge after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The School Intelligence program has established a School Information Sharing Advisory Board that will help identify intelligence

into the Internet for information that can be used to identify and verify threats, presented by Michael Bazzell, who has been a computer crime detective for the past 16 years.  Information on how to conduct a school-based threat assessment under current FERPA, HIPPA and other related Illinois school laws. This segment will be led by Ron Ellis, retired from the Illinois State Police, and his wife, Dr. Sandy Ellis, an adjunct professor at UIS. Ray will conclude the seminar by introducing the new information-sharing program at STIC.

and information requirements, priorities and gaps that pertain to schools in Illinois, and identify possible criminal activity and vulnerabilities. STIC, through partnership with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the Illinois Terrorism Task Force (ITTF), has hired a School Intelligence Officer, Maria Ray, who will be responsible for putting the board’s suggestions into actions. Ray will be identifying points of contact within each K-12 public district, private school and college to start opening the lines of communication. This unique program will be introduced during a

To learn more information about this free informational training (worth 10 continuing professional development units for educators) click here . The conference registration deadline for those needing lodging is May 10 and for all others is May 17. To register you must have a conference code. Email ema.STEPconference@illinois.gov to get a code.

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IASA, IASB, IASBO offer insurance plans for schools

 Flexibility with Coverage

 Vision Care Coverage  Out-of-State Coverage

Flexibility with Deductibles



No-Balance Billing

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 Life Insurance Coverage  Early Retirement Option  Short-Term Disability (STD) & Long-Term Disability (LTD) Coverage

Cafeteria Plan

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 COBRAAdministration  Health Care Reform Compliance

No Exit Fees

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Dental Coverage

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Powered by American Central Insurance Services

For more information, please contact Stan Travelstead at stan@iasaedu.org or Jeremy Travelstead at jeremy@iasaedu.org or toll-free at 877.698.2247

14

General Assembly action starting to heat up

(a 75 percent cut from the FY13 Transportation funding). There still is time to contact your local legislators to let them know the negative impact these cuts would have on your school district and, most importantly, on your students. In fact, some IASA regions are planning to come to Springfield on May 15 for an “Education Impact Day” to talk with legislators about increasing funding for public education. Similarly, letting your legislators know how important relief from unfunded mandates would be to your district could help in our push to return control over some of those decisions to the local level where they belong. Meanwhile, if Senate Bill 1 does get signed into law, a court challenge appears inevitable. Madigan and other proponents such as Rep. Elaine Nekritz (D-Northbrook) and House Republican Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego), who crafted a similar bill, seem to be banking on the State Supreme Court ignoring the pension protection language in the Illinois Constitution

Things are starting to heat up in the General Assembly with the House’s May 2 passage of Speaker Michael Madigan’s pension reform bill, but other important public education issues like the budget, cost shift and unfunded mandates still are in limbo as we move toward the scheduled end-of-the-month adjournment. Senate Bill 1, which Madigan amended, passed the House by a 62-51- 2 margin – two votes more than the necessary 60 – and now awaits an uncertain future in the Senate, where

Diane Hendren, Chief of Staff / Director of Governmental Relations

Senate President John Cullerton believes that a “choice” provision must be included in order for a reduction in pension benefits to pass constitutional muster. Cullerton and union representatives had been working

on a bill that would offer employees and retirees options, but as of this writing (May 6) no details had emerged and it was uncertain which bill Cullerton would call for a vote. Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno is on record supporting Madigan’s bill. Madigan’s bill includes reductions to the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for pensions, increasing the retirement age, and capping pensionable

because of the state’s fiscal crisis. Madigan has predicted that “at least four” Illinois Supreme Court justices would vote to uphold his bill despite the pension protection language in the Illinois Constitution. of opinion on that matter stems from the research and 76-page legal Cullerton’s difference

salaries. The cap would be set at the greater of either the Tier 2 cap (currently $109,971) or the member's maximum established salary under a contract in effect at the time the law takes effect, including any raises already in the contract. Contractual salaries below the cap would be allowed to rise to the cap. Madigan released a list of 14 main provisions of Senate Bill 1 .The cost shift language is not in Senate Bill 1, but Madigan said he expects that issue to be included in a separate bill in short order. Crafting the budget always seems to be one of the final acts of the spring session so it wouldn’t be surprising to see those negotiations go into the final days – or day – of the session. We are hopeful that the final budget for public education will look better than the governor’s proposal that would cut General State Aid to as low as 82 percent of the foundation level and would slash Transportation funding to about 20 percent of full funding

opinion written by his Chief Legal Counsel Eric Madiar. In his Capitol Fax blog, Rich Miller wrote about a unanimous 2004 decision by the Illinois Supreme Court in the Jorgenson v. Blagojevich case in which the court said: “In reaching this result, we acknowledge that substantial budgetary challenges currently confront the Governor and the General Assembly. The adverse economic conditions facing so many of our fellow citizens have taken an inevitable toll on the state’s treasury. Revenues are not keeping pace. Despite ongoing efforts by the Governor and legislature, shortfalls persist. […] One thing we cannot do, however, is ignore the Constitution of Illinois. […] No principle of law permits us to suspend constitutional requirements for economic reasons, no matter how compelling those reasons may seem.”

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Bringing PC (Positive Closure) to your school year

teaching methodologies, or simply reviewing the status of achieving district goals can remind staff that even though they may be leaving for the summer, the work of the district continues toward a vision that they can look forward to when they return in the fall. Thank your staff members: Sometimes we think that since we pay our staff to do what they do, we don’t need to thank them. Nothing could be further from the truth. We need to thank our staff for their continued efforts on behalf of the students and our communities. The teaching profession is not getting any easier, and sometimes acknowledging that to our co-workers and sincerely thanking them for continually trying their best to make a positive difference with kids can be extremely appreciated. Also be sure to thank the support personnel, your administrative assistants and clerical staff, your custodians, your bus drivers,

As administrators we spend a significant amount of time making sure we start the school year on a positive note. We plan our meetings, bring in a speaker, provide in-service for our staff, and make sure our buildings are cleaned and ready to start another year. However, we often don’t put in the same amount of effort to bring the end of the year to a positive and proper closure.

Dr. Gary Zabilka IASA Field

Services Director

Although it sometimes feels like people “just want to get out of here,” the collective gathering of our staff can be very beneficial and help start the summer vacation period on a very positive note. Following are some things that can be addressed: Acknowledge the highlights: Every district has to have some highlights to acknowledge from

and anyone else who contributed to providing the necessary services to make our schools successful. Wish them a good summer: Although many staff members don’t like to be reminded that they have their summers off (since many of them don’t), encourage them to take some time off for themselves — to relax, to refresh

the school year just completed. Whether it is from your athletic teams, academic competitions, student achievement, staff or student successes, implementation of a new program, survival of a challenging winter — you name it — celebrate those successes and acknowledge some of the positive things you accomplished together as a district. Speak about the challenges:

and to re-energize — because August will be here sooner than they think. Encourage them to do things they may not get to do during the school year, but also encourage and challenge them to reflect on their own past school year and think about what they might look at doing differently to improve themselves for the coming school year. Encourage your staff to read a professional journal or book periodically throughout the summer, but to also enjoy their own personal reading. Remind them that our own professional growth never ends, nor should it in the summer. The end of the school year can be as positive as the beginning of the school year if it is planned with the same effort we put into the start of the new school year. It can be a great opportunity for you and your administrative team to reflect on those things you would like to highlight, acknowledge and address to bring positive closure to the school year. It also reminds your staff that despite the summer break the business of the district continues throughout the summer while planning for continued growth and success for the next school year.

Often times we want to shy away from sharing or describing some of the challenges that we may have encountered as a district. As with the proverbial “elephant in the room,” everyone knows of these challenges and wonders if you’re going to address them. You may have encountered a strike this year, or suffered the loss of a staff member or student. You may have experienced a catastrophe with one of your buildings, or lost a referendum campaign. Whatever the challenge was, address it head on with the staff and let them know how you will respond moving forward to address that challenge. Project your continued vision: As district leaders we don’t often take the opportunity to remind our staff of our vision. Meeting at the end of the year can be used to describe any headway you may have made to that end, as well as to describe what the staff can look forward to when they return to the district in August. Whether it’s a new technology initiative, a building initiative or improvement, the implementation of more engaging

16

Servant leadership: CIV superintendents serve meals at South Side Mission

From left, Michelle Lee, Sally Masear, Lindsey Hall, and Paula Davis help prepare meals at the South Side Mission in Peoria during the Central Illinois Valley Region’s Service day.

“We are all servant leaders in some way, shape or form,” Hall continued. “We are morally obligated to give back in some way, outside of the context of our jobs. The connections we make in our broader community, in the end, also make all of our schools better throughout our region. When we team together to give back, we collectively make the world a better place.” Dr. John Asplund, superintendent of Farmington Central Community Unit District 265, agreed that servant leadership is an important part of being a school and community leader. He also said teaming with his colleagues was a good time. “We were able to work collectively for a good cause, which is always enjoyable. But we also got to spend time getting to know each other better, laughing and telling stories,” Asplund said. “We are all members of the same community, geographically and professionally. Our yearly service projects help reinforce this concept and help remind us the most effective leadership is servant leadership. (Continued on page 18)

Superintendents from the IASA Central Illinois Valley (CIV) Region took a break from budget cuts, unfunded mandates and the other challenges facing public education to spend a recent Saturday (April 13) serving breakfast and lunch to residents of the South Side Mission shelter in Peoria as their annual Service Day project. About 20 mothers and children were served meals, and the 14 superintendents who participated said it was a rewarding experience that reinforced the reason they chose to become educators. “We are all strengthened when we come together to face challenges in our community, one of which is poverty, which impacts children who attend our schools throughout this area, state and nation,” said Dr. Lindsey Hall, superintendent of Morton Community Unit District 709. According to the most recent statewide report card, 49 percent of Illinois students are considered to be from low-income families. “When school leaders give of their time, even just a few hours, we form bonds and relationships that give me a renewed sense of why I do this in the first place.

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