DeKalb School District officials are reviewing safety procedures as a result of Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s plan to improve school safety in Illinois.

Members of the Illinois State Board of Education, as well as the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal and the Illinois Terrorism Task Force, have been selected as part of Blagojevich’s state-wide attempt to improve safety standards in Illinois schools.

“What the governor has called for is a comprehensive plan for all Illinois schools,” said Becky Watts, spokesperson for the Illinois State Board of Education. “They have just begun to discuss safety improvements. Nothing has been established yet.”

After a plan is finalized, it will go through a pilot testing phase, she said.

In the DeKalb School District, safety issues are always a top priority, said Jed Dunbar, assistant superintendent for human resources.

“Safety is always a primary concern with every school district. The DeKalb School District continually looks at safety issues and reviews our school safety plans,” Dunbar said.

Dunbar and Watts said with concerns about terrorism and the recent violence in schools, there is an ongoing focus on keeping schools safe.

“Our administrative team met recently to discuss safety-related issues and to identify areas where additional support might be necessary,” Dunbar said.

MeriAnn Besonen, assistant superintendent for business and finance, also said the district has recently met to discuss safety issues. She said there are procedures in place to ensure safety.

“We do have specific safety plans in place, such as lock-down procedures and evacuations,” Besonen said. “We heard about [Blagojevich’s plan] and we decided it was about time to review [our procedures] as well.”

There are still questions over who will pay for Blagojevich’s new school safety improvements.

If the improvements are state-mandated without federal or state assistance, local school districts could be expected to pick up the tab.

“We’ll just have to wait and see,” Besonen said. “It could be [our responsibility]. If it’s state-mandated, we’ll just have to make the changes.”