School Safety

If a family member or friend is talking about or threatening to commit an act of violence toward others, community members must tell someone. Firearm suicide is also having a devastating impact on American youth. Over the past decade, the firearm suicide rate among young people has increased faster than among any other age group. One study showed that over 80 percent of children under the age of 18 who died by gun suicide used a gun belonging to a parent or relative. If you are in need of help or assistance, there are resources available, including the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255), 24/7, for free and confidential phone support.

If you have further questions or need support, please do not hesitate to reach out to the LHS/VHHS Learning Support Teams (LST) or provide information through the District 128  "Report a Concern" website.  As a community, it is our collective responsibility to ensure that Libertyville, Vernon Hills and the surrounding communities are safe places to learn, grow and prosper. 

• All school doors are locked.
• Parents/Visitors must check in upon arrival to the building at the Front Security desk.  A driver’s license or government-issued photo ID must be presented.  A name badge will be generated and must be worn throughout the time of the visit.  This name badge must be surrendered to either security location upon exiting the building.
• School Resource Officers monitor both LHS and VHHS and collaborate with school administration and the learning support team.

As required by the Illinois School Safety Drill Act (105 ILCS 128/20), during each academic year, schools must conduct a law enforcement lockdown drill to address a school shooting incident. This drill shall be no later than 90 days after the first day of each school year, that addresses an active threat or an active shooter within a school building. Law enforcement lockdown drills must be conducted on days and times when students are normally present in the school building and must involve participation from all school personnel and students present at school at the time of the lockdown drill, except that administrators or school support personnel in their discretion may exempt students from the lockdown drill. The appropriate local law enforcement agency shall observe the administration of the lockdown drill.

During each academic year, schools must conduct a minimum of 3 school evacuation drills to address and prepare students and school personnel for fire incidents.

During each academic year, schools must conduct a minimum of one bus evacuation drill. This drill shall be accounted for in the curriculum in all public schools and in all other educational institutions in this State that are supported or maintained, in whole or in part, by public funds and that provide instruction in any of the grades kindergarten through 12. This curriculum shall include instruction in safe bus riding practices for all students. Schools may conduct additional bus evacuation drills. All drills shall be conducted at each school building that houses school children.

During each academic year, schools must conduct a minimum of one severe weather and shelter-in-place drill to address and prepare students and school personnel for possible tornado incidents and may conduct additional severe weather and shelter-in-place drills to account for other incidents, including without limitation earthquakes or hazardous materials.

Community High School District 128 Safety Team

District 128
Larry Varn, Director of Equity & Inclusion
Briant Kelly, Associate Superintendent
Jessica Herrmann, Director of Student Services
Mary Todoric, Director of Communications
Temple Murphy, Director of Information Technology
Kristin Cummings, Personnel and Communications Administrative Asst.

Libertyville High School
Meagan Silverberg, Assistant Principal for Operations
Nancy Wood, School Nurse
Bob Uliks, Campus Safety Supervisor
Victoria Foster, Administrative Asst. and community member
Wayne Kincaid, Student Resource Officer

Vernon Hills High School
Greg Stilling, Assistant Principal for Operations
Kajal Patel-Thakkar, School Nurse
Todd Williams, Campus Safety Supervisor
Laura Rash, Administrative Asst. and community member
John Kohler, Student Resource Officer

Police Departments
Ed Roncone, Police Department, Village of Libertyville
Matt Goze, Police Department, Village of Libertyville
Patrick Kreis, Police Department, Village of Vernon Hills
Andrew Gillespie, Police Department, Village of Vernon Hills
Jeff Cielak, Police Department, Village of Vernon Hills

Fire Departments
Mike Pakosta, Fire Department, Village of Libertyville
Mike Weaver, Fire Department, Village of Libertyville
Chuck Smith, Fire Department, Countryside
Ron Echtenacher, Fire Department, Countryside

Be SMART

The Be SMART campaign was launched to raise awareness that secure gun storage—storing guns locked, unloaded and separate from ammunition—can save children’s lives. Be SMART helps parents and other adults normalize conversations surrounding gun safety and take responsible actions that can prevent gun deaths and injuries. There are many resources available on their website and at future community events.

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Free Gun Locks

As a way to assist residents in keeping their firearms safe, both the Libertyville Police Department and Vernon Hills Police Department offer free gun locks to any resident. The locks can be picked up at the Libertyville Police Department, 200 E. Cook Ave. or at the Vernon Hills Police Department Records Section Window, 740 Lakeview Parkway. The locks are typically available for pick-up Monday through Friday during the day. No identification is required when picking them up, and no one who requests the lock will be questioned as to their residency. Two locks per household are available.

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Firearm Restraining Order 

In Illinois, the Firearms Restraining Order (FRO) allows family/household members and law enforcement to work with courts to temporarily remove guns and prevent the purchase of new guns by individuals who pose a significant risk of harm to themselves or others. The FRO is a civil procedure, not a criminal one. The goal is to ensure the safety of the individual and those around them. 

The FRO requires the temporary removal of guns from the subject of the order and prohibits new purchases for the duration of the order. This creates safer circumstances for the individual to seek treatment, stabilize their behavior or access resources to address their behaviors. 

Information from the Illinois Attorney General’s Office regarding this process can be found here

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Website Resources

PASS - Partner Alliance for Safer Schools
Readiness and Emergency Management For Schools (REMS)
SchoolSafety.gov
Illinois School and Campus Safety Resource Center
Safe and Sound Schools
U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) "If You See Something, Say Something®"