PEORIA, IL — Legislation supported by state Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth (D-Peoria) requiring schools to implement and practice an emergency drill to prepare faculty and children for a scenario where a gunman enters the building was recently signed into law.

“This measure will help protect our students and teachers in the event of an emergency,” Gordon-Booth said. “This new law will ensure everyone in our schools knows how to safely and quickly react to dangerous situations. I will continue pushing for legislation protecting our children.”

Senate Bill 1625 requires schools to develop an evacuation or reverse evacuation plan for possible shooting incidents. Local law enforcement officials will be asked to work with each school to find a date to practice this drill with students and staff. After participating in the drill, law enforcement will give each school a report regarding improvements that can be made to their safety plan.

Currently, schools are required to have safety drills for school evacuation, bus evacuation, law enforcement, and serve weather. School evacuation and law enforcement drills are both based on incidents involving hazardous materials and bomb threats. This new law keeps the reasons for school evacuation the same, but changes law enforcement evacuation to include a suspicious person entering the building.

“When children and adults have practiced how they should act in an emergency, they can be prepared for the unthinkable and unpredicted,” Gordon-Booth said. “Through these drills we are teaching our children who to trust in emergency situations and giving law enforcement the opportunity to learn the layout and design of schools. It is important that teachers and first-responders know how to work together to protect our children.”

For more information about this or other pieces of legislation, please contact Gordon-Booth’s constituent service office at (309) 681-1992.