The DeKalb School District has spoken publicly to parents about how they are addressing security in schools, but these changes are not because of the recent shooting.

Last fall, the DeKalb School District initiated a Safety Task Force Committee comprised of DeKalb school principals, the assistant superintendant, the police and fire chiefs from DeKalb, Malta and Cortland, a representative from NIU and more, said Paul Beilfuss, DeKalb School District superintendant.

The task force, which meets monthly, is charged with looking at school facilities and performing a security-related audit. The task force also has discussed general disaster plans for natural disasters and crisis situations, Beilfuss said.

“We have discovered a number of details that are helpful to us and the participants,” Beilfuss said.

Another topic the safety task force has been working on is security.

As a result of the meetings, cameras will be installed in the schools this summer, said Lindsey Hall, principal of DeKalb High School.

“It’s important to know that the task force has been addressing safety issues all year,” she said.

But the school district is making a few changes due to the recent shooting.

“There have been officers in plain clothes in the schools,” Hall said. “They were brought in to help calm people and brought a level of security and comfort.”

With the many ways students have to communicate, the initial response to the shooting created some confusion, Hall said.

“While there was a large amount of information circulating, we do not feel, after examining this, that a response was needed for [ongoing gang violence or retribution],” Hall said. Rather, they will concentrate on security overall.

DeKalb Police Chief Bill Feithen was asked to participate in the safety task force committee to offer any help he could in coordinating the local police with the school district.

“We are looking into getting the police department access to the cameras being set up in the high schools so in the future, any emergency vehicle with a laptop can view the scene from their cars,” Feithen said.

The safety task force is made up of police and fire chiefs from Malta and Cortland because the towns overlap with DeKalb’s district.

“The safety task force is very good,” Feithen said. “It lets a wide variety of people get involved and they’re able to bring different perspectives to the table.”