The Friday-afternoon drill that was the brainchild of the late Charles "Chic" Williams will involve "victims" in full makeup, sirens, explosions, smoke and hundreds of school and emergency personnel.
In a way, the sirens you hear Friday afternoon are paying tribute to Chic Williams, the man who helped build Geneva's Readiness and Emergency Management program to one of the best in Illinois. Williams, who died Monday after a fight with liver disease, was Geneva High School's National Incident Management System coordinator and the person who applied for the $374,000 grant that will make Friday's full-scale emergency practice run possible. Williams' visitation begins at 3 p.m. Friday at Malone Funeral Home in Geneva, a half-hour before the drill is expected to end. Friday's drill almost certainly will be the most complex and expansive in the city's history—the culmination of nearly three years’ work updating and aligning Geneva School …
In this Article:
An unknown incident Friday at Harrison Street School has some parents worried, due to a lack of information about what happened. Police and school officials say they can't provide details because the incident involves a juvenile.
Parents of Harrison Street School students say there was an incident involving four or more Geneva squad cars Friday afternoon, but police and school officials are unable to comment because the case involves a juvenile subject. Parents received an email note over the weekend from Harrison Street School Principal Shonette Sims acknowledging that "an incident occurred on the playground after hours last evening. Geneva police were called, but none of our students in the Kids Zone program were involved or witnessed any of the interactions," the email said. Geneva Police Department Cmdr. Julie Nash said she could not offer any additional information at this time because the incident involved a juvenile. Geneva Patch will follow up when the …
In the wake of Sandy Hook, readers are just looking for common-sense solutions.
As reported earlier in the week, neirghboring St. Charles School District 303 is getting ready to spend more than $300,000 to upgrade school security. That led to a question and discussion as to whether upgrades are needed here in Geneva. In a sampling of Geneva Facebook comments, readers are hoping for common-sense solutions to keep schools safe—without breaking the bank. Here are some comments: You can read more comments on the Geneva Patch Facebook page and leave your own comment in the field below. Click the "Keep Me Posted" button below this text.
In this Article:
St. Charles School District 303 is looking at a pricey list of improvements, from classroom door locks to better camera coverage at high schools to panic buttons, recommended in the wake of the school shootings in Newtown, CT.
The massacre of 20 children and six adults at a Connecticut school in mid-December reverberated around the country as parents and educators entertained the awful question: Could it happen here? Within days of the deadly rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, St. Charles School Superintendent Donald Schlomann initiated a plan to assess security concerns at all the schools in Community Unit School District 303. On Thursday evening, the District 303 Board of Education’s Business Services Committee got a first look at a laundry list of steps the district can take to improve security at its school. Should Geneva schools be doing the same? Take the Patch poll and add your comments here. Many of the items, which carry a total …
In this Article:
12:29 pm on Tuesday, March 5, 2013
And locking the doors is free! With unlocked doors, I'd be more scared of a kid getting kidnapped versus a shooter gaining access. more ›
Kane County State's Attorney's Office conducts full investigation prior to decision. School District 304 adds a statement.
No criminal charges will be filed in a Jan. 9, 2013, incident at Mill Creek Elementary School in Geneva involving parent/volunteer Colin M. McGroarty. According to a press release issued Friday by the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, sheriff’s investigators interviewed all known witnesses, as well as school officials who were present in the building but did not witness the incident. The investigators also reviewed "other statements and information that was relevant to the investigation," the press release said. When the investigation was complete, the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the facts and findings with sheriff’s investigators and determined that McGroarty's conduct, "although disconcerting, was not criminal." The …
In this Article:
12:34 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
this man belongs to the school for the politically insane. just read his facebook and youtube mind benders. yes, he is extremely dangerous and the court needs to uphold the no trespass order when he appears jan 31, thurs. one doesnt need to be a SA to figure that out. and for his own kids safety, needs to uphold his normal ex-wife's order of protection. lets thank God for her kicking his ass out … more ›
The father said he never meant to cause fear or be threatening during the Jan. 10 incident. He still takes issue with the school creed.
Here is the full text of Colin McGroarty's apology, posted on Facebook at about 9:20 a.m. Jan. 14: Apology to Geneva area residents I would like to apologize to Geneva area residents for unintentionally contributing to a heightened state of fear in the local area. My poor choice of wording in the publicly released statement after witnessing the children in the afternoon kindergarten class promising to obey rules and teachers while performing the Pledge of Allegiance was open to misinterpretation. Please understand that generating fear was not the intent. The event left me horrified and in a heightened emotional state due to my own personal knowledge and experience (knowledge of American history to include Eugenics, the genocide of my own …
In this Article:
8:22 pm on Friday, January 18, 2013
@LC: Apparently you forgot. READ YOUR COMMENTS!! You railed against REPUBLICANS & the GOP, which had ZERO to do with the story. more ›
It's time to stand up to conservative bullies, and it can start with the arrest of the parent who disrupted a Mill Creek kindergarten class in a dispute over the Pledge of Allegiance.
When I read about last week’s Mill Creek Elementary School incident, I desperately wanted to chalk it up to an extreme example of conservatism run amok, but I couldn’t. You see, the sad truth is, when a plurality of Americans insist upon shrieking socialism, birth certificate, secession, and taking back our country, a parent verbally assaulting a kindergarten class blends right in. And please don’t try and tell me that the left is just as bad, because they aren’t. Yes! There are real conservatives who refuse to regularly succumb to that uncontrollable urge to control other peoples’ lives, but their capacity to ignore and even subtly encourage their bitter and overzealous brethren is unparalleled. Incensed over a perceived Pledge of …
In this Article:
11:58 am on Sunday, February 17, 2013
JEFF WARD's article is proof in the pudding identifying the problem as being America's division between left and right, blame, finger pointing, denial and open minded disgust. Those who need to link violence to politics are part of the problem. Jeff is doing that here. Although the pledge parent appears to be a far right political fundamentalist, the truth is, he is an end of his rope psychotic … more ›
Teachers will not be initiating conversation relating to the events that occurred at Newtown, but they are ready to support the emotional needs of any students who may need help.
In the wake of the tragic shooting deaths at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, Principal Julie Dye sent an e-mail to parents Monday outlining how Williamsburg Elementary School in Geneva is communicating with students and underlining Geneva elementary schools' security procedures. "This past Friday we were all deeply saddened by the tragic events that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut," Dye wrote in a 304Connects message. "We join our nation in expressing our sadness and shock over this horrific event. Certainly our thoughts and prayers go out to the Sandy Hook school community as they begin the longprocess of healing." Dye said she knows that parents' thoughts "immediately turn to your own …
In this Article:
St. Charles school officials to evaluate security measures, consider mental health concerns after a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
Friday’s shooting deaths of 20 children and six adults at a schoolhouse in Newton, CT, stunned the nation. Each detail that emerged about the violence at the hands of a deranged gunman struck a nerve for many parents, who wondered, “Are my children safe in their schools?” Late Sunday afternoon, while some St. Charles parents expressed their fears and concerns when St. Charles Patch hosted a Facebook discussion of the issue, St. Charles Community Unit School District 303 announced initiatives educators hope not only will keep children safe, but also will head off potential violence before it erupts. Superintendent Dr. Donald Schlomann sent the email about 4:30 p.m., about 50 minutes after the Facebook discussion began. Schlomann wrote that …
In this Article:
11:51 pm on Tuesday, December 18, 2012
One of the things Schulman needs to address immediately is the removal of one to one aides from students, many with autism or asbergers. A huge mistake that can be undone! more ›
Mom of two
9:34 pm on Tuesday, April 9, 2013
There is another article on the patch from today with a little more information. more ›