More than 30 Will County schools will receive funds to enhance security thanks to $129,777 in grants awarded by the county from the state’s cannabis sales tax revenue.
The security improvements will take place in 18 Will County school districts, including Beecher School District 200U, Frankfort School District 157-C, Lockport School District 91, Manhattan School District 114, New Lenox School District 122 and Summit Hill School District 161.
The school districts applied to receive funds allocated from the county to the Will County Regional Office of Education as part of the fiscal year 2026 budget.
Districts had their choice to either install main entrance security reinforcements that improve resistance to forced entry and ballistic threats or to receive enhanced visitor and attendance management systems, said Regional Office of Education Superintendent Lisa Caparelli-Ruff.
Both programs offer schools additional safety measures for students and staff, she said.
Of the 33 schools awarded grants, 19 schools opted for main entrance improvements while 14 chose to modernize their check-in and visitor badging systems.
For the main entrance improvements, the Regional Office of Education is working with Clear-Armor, which manufactures a multi-layer security laminate designed to strengthen glass at entrances and exits that offers more time for an emergency response during a shooting incident. Education officials visited the company’s headquarters to see how the product worked and found that bullets did not penetrate the glass.
Caparelli-Ruff said her office worked well with Clear-Armor when the company installed its protective shooter-resistant window laminate at 21 of the county’s high schools last year and she is happy to offer the product to more Will County schools.
The funds in this grant cycle will benefit middle schools, junior high schools and single school school districts, Caparelli-Ruff said.
Schools were given up to $4,500 each for the security enhancements.
“School safety is very near and dear to my heart,” Caparelli-Ruff said. “No true learning can happen if students or staff feel unsafe.”
The security laminate not only protects the entrances against an active shooter, but can help in natural disasters such as tornados as well, Caparelli-Ruff said. The laminate reinforces the glass to create a shatter-resistant barrier, preventing shards of glass from flying out during extreme weather.
Other schools opted to use the grant funds to upgrade their visitor management platforms, which screens guests who enter the buildings. The software can quickly identify registered sex offenders or persons banned from school property, said Theresa Ward, director of school safety for the Will County Regional Office of Education.
The upgraded system also helps with lockdown drills and fire drills, and ensures students are accounted for in the reunification process if an emergency were to occur, she said.
School rosters are digitized and a school resource officer can manage the technology from a tablet or an app, she said.
The state of Illinois does not have parameters on how cannabis money has to be allocated, but traditionally the county has used the fund on public health and safety initiatives, said Mike Theodore, a spokesman for the county executive office.
Caparelli-Ruff said the office appreciated working with the County Board to receive bipartisan support for school safety improvements.
“If we keep working on this together, we will make Will County the safest schools in the state,” she said.
Other districts receiving grant funds include Elwood District 203, Fairmont School District 89, Joliet Public Schools District 86, Plainfield School District 202, Reed-Custer School District 255-U, Richland School District 88, Rockdale School District 84, Taft District 90, Valley View School District 365U, Wilco Area Career Center, Will County School District 92 and Wilmington District 209U.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter.
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