Illinois Association of School Boards Votes Against Arming Teachers

The Illinois Association of School Boards, which represents nearly almost all the state’s school boards, rejected a resolution that would allow school districts to decide whether to allow teachers to be armed on campus.

The school board association rejected the proposal by a 249-198 vote. “The intent of the proposed resolution was to give local school districts the authority to decide what is best for their communities in the areas of school safety and student protection,” the association said in a statement.

The resolution was mostly supported by school districts in rural areas that had concerns about emergency response times and lack of resources to hire school resource officers. Those opposing the proposal said that arming staff would not create a safer environment for students.

The association approved a related resolution that called the association to advocate for state school safety grants for hiring school resource officers.

 

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • El Paso District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The Canutillo Independent School District in El Paso, Texas, recently announced that construction has begun on a 119,000-square-foot elementary school, according to a news release. The district partnered with Pfluger Architects, Carl Daniel Architects, and LDCM Solutions on the new Davenport Elementary School, which has an expected completion date of 2027.

  • North Carolina District Completes New Elementary School

    The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) in Holly Springs, N.C., recently announced that construction on a new elementary school has finished, according to a news release. Rex Road Elementary School measures in at 133,000 square feet and is the fifteenth school that general contractor Balfour Beatty has completed for the district.

  • Upcoming University of Alabama Performing Arts Center Hits Construction Milestone

    The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., recently celebrated the topping out of its new Smith Family Center for Performing Arts, according to a news release. The university is partnering with HPM for program and project management on the facility, which broke ground in 2023 and is scheduled for completion in November 2026.

  • Photo credit: Elkus Manfredi Architects

    University of Virginia Selects Design-Build Team for New Residential Complex

    The University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., recently announced that it has selected a design-build team for a new upper-class residential development on campus, according to a news release. Capstone Development Partners—in partnership with Elkus Manfredi Architects and the Hoar Construction/Hourigan construction team—will move forward with the three-building, 310,000-square-foot housing facility.

Digital Edition