Security check on hold in Round Lake district

Round Lake Area Unit District 116 officials are considering paying $37,000 for an audit of security needs in its schools.

Board members discussed hiring National School Safety and Security Services to evaluate how prepared they are to deal with violence or other emergencies.

However, some board members expressed concerns Thursday that money to pay for the audit -- and any recommendations that may come out of it -- is not in this year's budget. As a result, the board decided it needed further input from district CEO Ben Martindale before moving forward.

Martindale was unable to attend the meeting, but the board did hear an outline of the plan from Kenneth Trump, chief of the Cleveland-based firm.

Trump said his firm would first review district policies, procedures and staff training for dealing with violence and other emergencies.

His firm then would send its experts to inspect District 116's eight schools and hold discussions with administration, staff and teachers.

Finally, Trump said, a report would be prepared that outlines the district's strengths in preparedness and areas needing improvement.

Board President W. Guy Finley supported awarding the contract, saying Trump's firm was the leader in the school security industry.

But Vice President Nanci Radford and others questioned the financial commitment they would be making to something not provided for in this year's budget.

Walter Korpan, the district's chief financial officer, told the board the money could be appropriated from other areas of the budget and there was a possibility grants could be applied for to address the costs.

In the end, the board decided to wait until its Dec. 6 meeting to discuss the matter further with Martindale.