District 304 to Community: Safety Is Top Priority in Geneva Schools

The Geneva School District 304 sent an e-blast Friday afternoon, assuring community members and parents that "Safety First" isn't just an old saying, but words it lives by.

The press release follows a Wednesday incident at Mill Creek Elementary School, in which a parent entered the school library and disrupted kindergarten students with some inappropriate language as he protested the way the Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

The message underlines that each Geneva public school has a safety plan in place, thanks the Kane County Sheriff's Office for its assistance and notes that action does not always include notification of the general public.

It also acknowledges that law-enforcement presence was increased at all Geneva schools, not just Mill Creek, following the incident and that the police were at other school buildings "purely for precautionary reasons." 

Full Text of the Press Release

At Geneva School District, the safety of our students and staff is of the utmost importance, and we greatly appreciate the concern that has been shown over this week’s incident at Mill Creek Elementary School.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind all of our families, once again, that Geneva School District has a plan in place at each of our schools to handle emergency situations and has made great strides in recent years to increase security at our buildings. We also work very closely with city and county law enforcement agencies to review our emergency procedures and conduct drills on an annual basis.

In the case of Mill Creek Elementary School this week, these plans and partnerships with law enforcement worked as they were intended, and we were able to quickly and appropriately deal with this incident.

We would like to thank the Kane County Sheriff’s Department for their swift action and assistance in dealing with this matter and the Geneva Police Department for their presence at Geneva’s other schools following this incident.  We truly understand that you can never be too careful when it comes to the safety of students and staff.

Please know that this was a situation specific to a particular building involving an identified individual, and that the decision to increase law enforcement presence at the other buildings was purely for precautionary reasons. 

As a district, we conduct threat assessments in situations such as this and determine the extent of the threat and the appropriate course of action.  This action does not always include notification to the entire district or the entire Geneva community.

Please also know that we understand that emotions are heightened in the current climate of school violence, and we will continue to be mindful of this going forward.

Related Articles

• Geneva Schools Get Homeland Security Emergency-Plan Grant
• Are Geneva Schools Prepared for Disaster?
• Geneva Elementary School Underline Safety in Wake of Sandy Hook
• Emergency Preparedness Month: Do You Have a Kit Yet?
• School Emergency Management Training
• School District 304 Will Test Emergency School-To-Parent E-Mail and Phone Service at 3 PM Sunday
• Reminder: School District Will Send Notice Early Monday If School Is Cancelled
• 3rd UPDATE: Dad's Dispute Over School Pledge Prompts Police