Illinois State Sen. Karina Villa helped sponsor House Bill 2400, which in part prohibits graphic simulations in school shooting lockdown drills. | Facebook
Illinois State Sen. Karina Villa helped sponsor House Bill 2400, which in part prohibits graphic simulations in school shooting lockdown drills. | Facebook
An Illinois State Senator has noted her part in the sponsorship of a school law enforcement drills bill sent to Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on June 23 that addresses the use of graphic simulations during school lockdown drills.
State Senator Karina Villa (D-West Chicago) was among sponsors of House Bill 2400 that amends the School Safety Drill Act, the Illinois General Assembly website said. The bill in part requires “that a law enforcement drill must not include simulations that mimic an actual school shooting incident or active shooter event.”
“I was honored to carry HB2400 in the Senate! School lockdown drills would no longer include graphic simulations to mimic a school shooting under HB2400,” Villa said in a Facebook post. “This legislation will give students an opportunity to prepare for an active threat without having to experience the distress of a school shooting. Without the power of youth organizing HB2400 would not have been presented to me.”
Many students fear school shootings, Villa said in a release on the Illinois Senate Democrats website.
“... It’s important that we work to keep them safe without causing additional trauma,” Villa said in the release.
The Senate passed HB 2400 on May 27 in a 57-0 vote, and the House passed the bill 117-0 on April 21, the Illinois General Assembly website said.
The bill was sent to Pritzker on June 23, the website said.
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