DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin, DuPage Regional Office of Education Superintendent Dr. Darlene Ruscitti, Head of the School Safety Task Force John Heiderscheidt and representatives from school districts as well as special education and other cooperatives across DuPage County, announced today the adoption of a new county-wide agreement that will expedite and facilitate the development and implementation of programs designed to provide mutual aid in crises in DuPage County school districts and cooperatives which exceed the capacity of an individual school district or cooperative to respond effectively on its own. The County’s new DuPage County School Mutual Aid Response Team (DuSMART) is the product of State’s Attorney Berlin’s and the County’s School Safety Task Force’s recognition that while DuPage County has fortunately not been subject to such occurrences, either man-made or natural, it is in the best interests of DuPage County students, staff and communities that they join together to plan for such occurrences and be prepared should they arise.
The new agreement will be administered by the Regional Office of Education with the Regional Superintendent of Schools serving as Chair of an advisory panel. The advisory panel will consist of the DuPage County State’s Attorney or their designee, the Regional Superintendent of Schools or their designee, three school Superintendents, one Director selected by the participating Special Education and other Cooperatives, an Administrator from the DuPage Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, one representative from the DuPage Fire Chiefs’ Association and one representative from the DuPage County Police Chiefs’ Association.
Implementation of the agreement will be self-funded with each of the participating school boards and cooperatives contributing $250 for the remainder of this school year and an amount not to exceed $400 for each year thereafter. The Regional Office of Education shall seek additional funding through grants and similar sources of revenue.
“Recognizing that preparation is in the best interests of our students, staff and communities, the ability to plan and be ready for emergencies, arising out of either natural disaster or violence, cannot be understated,” Berlin said. “School safety is a top priority of my administration, and this agreement facilitates the sharing of our knowledge, experience and resources that will enable us to completely and effectively respond to any situation that may be beyond the ability of one particular school or school district to manage on their own. I am confident that this new agreement will result in making DuPage County schools among the safest and well-prepared in the entire nation. I thank all those involved, particularly DuPage Regional Office of Education Superintendent Dr. Darlene Ruscitti, Head of the School Safety Task Force John Heiderscheidt and the dozens of school district attorneys, Superintendents and Administrators for their dedication to the safety and well-being of our children and for their efforts in the creation of DuSMART. I am honored to be part of such a forward-thinking team of professionals, and I look forward to working with them to further advance our commitment to public safety and protect society’s most vulnerable.”
“The DuPage County school districts are very serious about the safety of students and staff,” Dr. Ruscitti said. “We spearheaded Illinois’ first school safety task force after the Columbine High School massacre in 1999. Twenty-four years later, our school safety task force is still intact and now includes this very powerful collaborative mutual aid agreement. By employing common terminology and evidence-based training in threat assessment and reunification, our continuous collaboration is ensuring our schools are safer than ever.”
As of this morning, twenty-three DuPage County school districts and cooperatives have signed on to the agreement.
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