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If the bill becomes a law, Illinois will be the fourth state in the Midwest to allow certain barricades to be used in lockdown situations.
Door locks should be ADA- and NFPA-code compliant as well as lockable from the inside of the room.
A bill made it through Illinois Senate on Friday that would allow schools to add barricades, or extra lock mechanisms, to classroom doors, which is currently illegal in Illinois.
Campus Safety has been extremely vocal about the importance of purchasing code-compliant classroom barricade devices that lock from the inside, a measure Illinois is prepared to see through, reports News Channel 20.
By having the door locks be lockable from the inside of the room, teachers, administrators or other staff members can quickly lockdown and shelter in place. Really, it’s about using common sense and staying educated when selecting campus safety security technology.
Back in December, Campus Safety decided to stop accepting ads or sponsorships from any company whose door barricades don’t comply with ADA of NFPA Codes to further commit to school safety.
If the bill passes, Illinois will be the fourth state in the Midwest, joining Kansas, Michigan and Ohio, to allow these types of barricades to be used in lockdown situations.
“For us as a state to tell these people, ‘No, no, no, you can’t do that,’ are you serious?” said Mahomet Senator Chapmin Rose, who is sponsoring the bill. “This is what our police are telling us to do and what they’re training to do and yet the State Board of Education and the State Fire Marshal’s Office says you can’t do that.”
“You’re never going to stop everything,” Rose added. “We know that. Anybody who is crazy and intent, where there’s a will, there’s an unfortunate way, to the extent which we can provide any additional protection. That ought to be the goal.”
Law enforcement and fire officials are hesitant about the bill because the added locks add an extra barrier in the case of an emergency.
“We’re in favor of any bill to help protect our children better, however, we also need to be aware that there could be other secondary concerns based off the first one,” said Sangamon county Sheriff Jack Campbell.
Campbell added that the issue will be further discussed with the legislature and the state fire marshal to ensure that the proper equipment is added to the schools.
If the bill passes, schools would be required to give police and fire officials tools to open the locks.
About the Author
Katie Malafronte, Web Editor
Katie Malafronte is Campus Safety's Web Editor. She graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 2017 with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication Studies and a minor in Writing & Rhetoric. Katie has been CS's Web Editor since 2018.
