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The committee met with members of Chicago Public Schools and
discussed future programs designed to help students stay safe in the
classrooms.
State Rep. LaShawn Ford, a committee member, explained the goal of
Wednesday's meeting.
"Hopefully, today we will come together and be a strong advocate for
school safety," said Ford, D-Chicago. "Many times when I talk to the
communities, many people only focus on the major violence like
school shootings, but it all leads up when we have communities and
schools that are not healthy."
Jadine Chou, chief of safety and security for Chicago Public
Schools, discussed three programs they have been implementing in
their schools: the Becoming a Man Program, the Choose to Change
program, and the Back to Our Future Program.
"A participant will be put into a paid skills program to get things
going, and then we would connect you through that with a high-level
mentorship similar to Choose to Change but much more intensive,"
Chou said.
Data shows that 95% of gun violence victims of school age were not
enrolled in school at the time of their victimization.
Chou said one of the main goals is to keep kids safe inside the
classrooms.
"The goal is to get these young people back into schools," Chou
said. "Whether that is with CPS, or if they're older, we can get
them into some education completion opportunity."
Ford echoed Chou's thoughts on keeping kids safe.
"I am a teacher by profession, and the safest room was always when
we had a safe environment, and everyone felt welcomed," Ford said.
The committee also discussed other topics, including implementing
security cameras in the school buildings.
Andrew Hensel has years of experience as a
reporter and pre-game host for the Joliet Slammers, and as a
producer for the Windy City Bulls. A graduate of Iowa Wesleyan
University and Illinois Media School, Andrew lives in the south
suburbs of Chicago. |
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