The District 233 school board has been making improvements to its security systems since a student was arrested for bringing a gun on the campus of Homewood-Flossmoor High School in January.

Before the gun incident, Superintendent Jennifer Norrell had asked the board to hire the Vulnerability Solutions Group LLC security firm for a review of its campus security measures. Representatives were on campus in February to complete the assessment.

Norrell told the board that most of what they would learn from the organization would be discussed in closed session and would not be made available to the public. 

But one step toward better security has been a change in the number of people monitoring the buildings.

Security officers now wear black pants and shirts. The shirts have H-F insignia on the front and  “Security” on the back. 

At the March meeting, board members approved contracts at $35 per hour for 12 Safety and Security Officers. Their role previously was Police Security Liaison. The board also approved hiring 16 part-time Safety and Security Officers.

Norrell told board members the change puts people in full-time positions “rather than working one day and not coming to campus for a month. Our permanent staff will see the same things day in and day out, and the staff knows what to expect of them and the students know what to expect of them.”

The board approved hiring three dean’s assistants at $22 per hour at the March meeting. They are in the hallways during changing periods.

“We feel like we have more coverage and greater oversight,” Norrell said. “It’s important for consistency.”

“The security team has shifts throughout the school day and evening to cover when school is in session and during co-curriculars and events,” said Carla Erdey, director of communications and community engagement. 

The two who are leading the security team are Alfred Mayes who is designated the Safety and Security Campus Lead and Dan Wilson who is the Safety and Security Strategic Monitoring Lead. 

“The district consolidated full-time and rotating part-time safety staff into 12 full-time positions to provide consistency throughout the school day,” Erdey said. In addition, she noted a roster of part-time safety staff assigned to after-school hours shifts as needed. “That number varies based on the needs of the day,” she said.