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State takes a look at school safety

Updated: December 18, 2012
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SPRINGFIELD -- Some schools are taking a second look at their emergency plans, all because of last week's deadly shooting in Connecticut.

School safety is on the minds of many, including Randy Allen from Chatham. He's in charge of security for the district.

"We hold fire drills, obviously, and other evacuation drills, we have lock downs drills, the lock down drills which involve our police and fire departments are required by law," he said.

And while he's confident in what they do, he says there's always room for improvement. That's why they're constantly updating plans.

They're not the only ones, the state is too. Governor Quinn is teaming up with all kinds of experts. Together, they'll work on violence prevention and response strategies.

"There's always things that can be revisited. Our we doing the best we can do. What changes can we make. But I do feel safe here," said Allison McCue is a kindergarten teacher for Glenwood. She's also a parent. She says it's a good to know the state is getting proactive.

Allen agrees. He says it's sad to think this even has to happen, but after last week's deadly shooting, you can never be too careful.

"It's an unfortunate sign of the times. It's the life that we lead and live in right now and this is what we have to do. We have to ensure the safety of the kids. That's our number one responsibility," he said.

The state will also be launching a new video in January. It'll outline a series of school safety drills and will be available for free to both public and private schools.

In the wake of what happened, Governor Quinn now wants to place a ban on assault weapons. He's asking lawmakers to take up the issue in January.

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