Unless you’ve have your head buried in the sand, you know that education funding cuts in Illinois are causing tremendous problems for many school districts in the state including local districts. What can we do about this?
A group of parents in District 204 is setting up a rally in Springfield on Wednesday, April 14 and all concerned people in Illinois are welcome to join us. The legislature is in session that day and we plan to meet with some legislators while there.
We are working toward reprioritization of spending in the state budget to restore funding to public education. Funding education should be a state priority. This rally is not in support of HB 174 which would increase income and business taxes.
If you would like to help these efforts in some way, here are some opportunities.
Contact your state representative and senator, Governor Pat Quinn, and Speaker of the House Mike Madigan to let them know your opinion about these cuts and how much and why you value public education. You can find contact information for the people who represent you at this website: http://www.elections.state.il.us/districtlocator/selectsearchtype.aspx
Add your name to the “Stop Education Budget Cuts in Illinois - Save our teachers” petition at http://www.gopetition.us/petitions/stop-education-budget-cuts-in-illinois.html
Join the Facebook fan page “Caravan to the Capitol - Restore Illinois Education Funding.”
Pass this information on to others anywhere in Illinois who may be interested.
If you’d like to join us on our Springfield trip, please make sure to join the Facebook page or e-mail me so you can be updated as we finalize the plans for the day, including transportation arrangements. You could also choose to visit Springfield another day on your own or with a group.
We are working on putting together a video made up of photos of children, parents, and teachers with signs. If you have photos/signs you’d like included in our video, please send them!
E-mail me or caravan2thecapitol@yahoo.com for more information and to be included on future e-mails.
This is our opportunity to have our voices heard, to say that we value the education our children are getting and don't want funding to be cut.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
2010-03-26 - District 204 cuts & Springfield rally
Governor Quinn’s planned cuts to school funding have been big news lately. Though the final budget may not be available for several months, school districts must make decisions at this time of year about next school year based on this incomplete budget information. This has put many Illinois districts in the undesirable position of making massive cuts.
It is the hope of parents, educators, and administrators throughout Illinois that state legislators will meet this funding obligation. According to Article 10 of the Illinois Constitution “The State has the primary responsibility for financing the system of public education.” Education funding should remain intact while funding decreases come from other areas. This would be a terrible time to increase the tax burden on businesses and people working in Illinois. Creating and restoring jobs instead would cut down on the loss of income tax dollars to the state and decrease the burden of unemployment.
In District 204 the administration and school board have utilized community input and spent countless hours looking at a multitude of ways to cut millions of dollars from next year’s budget. The proposal presented at the March 22 board meeting included long-term savings such as a million dollar savings on changing bus routes, a million dollar savings on the new bus contract, and a new health care contract. Other proposals include putting off expenses such as building maintenance and technology, renegotiating software licenses, and increases of fees and class sizes.
The community has the opportunity to comment on the various proposals both online and at the upcoming budget meeting on April 5. Many ideas have been thoroughly discussed but there can still be new ideas which could make a difference.
After the potential loss of dozens of teachers, the biggest concern for some are the proposed music cuts. It is important to note that alternatives within the new budget constraints are being actively working on. Please see www.ipsd.org for budget updates and to give online feedback. The district has chosen to leave the 5th grade and high school band and orchestra programs intact.
Hundreds of district students participating in curricular band and orchestra meet in large classes where they work as a group. Each student also meets weekly in a small group with an instructor for technique class where they work on learning how to play their specific instrument and get crucial individualized instruction. The proposed changes eliminate technique class - there is a chance technique will be available outside of school hours for a fee - putting the majority of students who don’t take private lessons at a severe disadvantage.
If this occurs, our middle school program could gradually shrink and feed less well-prepared students to our high school music programs. In addition, many valued staff members who make the music program what it is today have been notified of their release or are being reassigned. Our Grammy Award winning high school music programs are well known throughout the country. This may not continue if the program cuts occur.
I commend the administration and school board for their efforts on a financial plan meant to have minimal impact on our students, but this particular proposal has a large and not easily regained effect on one of the very things that makes our district as great as it is today.
It is incredibly ironic that President Obama and Education Secretary Duncan have proposals to improve education in this country while education is headed rapidly downhill in their home state, where residents would be grateful to simply maintain the levels of education and programs we have now.
Without the state funding cuts, our district would not be in this position. A group of parents is planning to visit legislators in Springfield soon to voice opposition to the cuts and rally for restoration of education funding. Please contact me for more information.
It is the hope of parents, educators, and administrators throughout Illinois that state legislators will meet this funding obligation. According to Article 10 of the Illinois Constitution “The State has the primary responsibility for financing the system of public education.” Education funding should remain intact while funding decreases come from other areas. This would be a terrible time to increase the tax burden on businesses and people working in Illinois. Creating and restoring jobs instead would cut down on the loss of income tax dollars to the state and decrease the burden of unemployment.
In District 204 the administration and school board have utilized community input and spent countless hours looking at a multitude of ways to cut millions of dollars from next year’s budget. The proposal presented at the March 22 board meeting included long-term savings such as a million dollar savings on changing bus routes, a million dollar savings on the new bus contract, and a new health care contract. Other proposals include putting off expenses such as building maintenance and technology, renegotiating software licenses, and increases of fees and class sizes.
The community has the opportunity to comment on the various proposals both online and at the upcoming budget meeting on April 5. Many ideas have been thoroughly discussed but there can still be new ideas which could make a difference.
After the potential loss of dozens of teachers, the biggest concern for some are the proposed music cuts. It is important to note that alternatives within the new budget constraints are being actively working on. Please see www.ipsd.org for budget updates and to give online feedback. The district has chosen to leave the 5th grade and high school band and orchestra programs intact.
Hundreds of district students participating in curricular band and orchestra meet in large classes where they work as a group. Each student also meets weekly in a small group with an instructor for technique class where they work on learning how to play their specific instrument and get crucial individualized instruction. The proposed changes eliminate technique class - there is a chance technique will be available outside of school hours for a fee - putting the majority of students who don’t take private lessons at a severe disadvantage.
If this occurs, our middle school program could gradually shrink and feed less well-prepared students to our high school music programs. In addition, many valued staff members who make the music program what it is today have been notified of their release or are being reassigned. Our Grammy Award winning high school music programs are well known throughout the country. This may not continue if the program cuts occur.
I commend the administration and school board for their efforts on a financial plan meant to have minimal impact on our students, but this particular proposal has a large and not easily regained effect on one of the very things that makes our district as great as it is today.
It is incredibly ironic that President Obama and Education Secretary Duncan have proposals to improve education in this country while education is headed rapidly downhill in their home state, where residents would be grateful to simply maintain the levels of education and programs we have now.
Without the state funding cuts, our district would not be in this position. A group of parents is planning to visit legislators in Springfield soon to voice opposition to the cuts and rally for restoration of education funding. Please contact me for more information.
Friday, March 19, 2010
2010-03-19 Metea musicians shine on big night
There was a high level of excitement among high school students and faculty this week as they prepared for and performed for the first time in their new auditorium.
On Wednesday the Metea Valley High School Music Department presented the Grand Opening Auditorium Concert at 6 and 8pm. Approximately 320 ninth and tenth grade musicians were featured in a seamless performance of musical ensembles. The concert included all Metea Valley curricular and co-curricular ensembles including Symphonic Orchestra, Symphonic Strings, Metea Valley Symphony Orchestra (MVSO), String Quartet, Cecillian Singers, Bass Chorus, Concert Choir, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, United Voices, Symphonic Bands, Symphonic Winds, Jazz Ensemble, Steel Bands, and Percussion Ensembles.
The auditorium was completed recently and features the latest in digital audio and lighting technology, which presented a challenge for those who needed to learn how to use all the new equipment in time for the performance. There is a fully enclosed concert shell on stage and an orchestra pit. There are two alcoves above and to the sides of the stage for additional performance areas, and these were used during this concert. The auditorium area includes a scene shop, a black box theater, dressing rooms, storage rooms, and piano storage. The 880 seats are divided into three sections in both the front and rear and handicapped seating is available. 1100-1200 people attended the concerts Wednesday, including our superintendent and some members of the school board.
Earlier this week Don Devany, Fine Arts Department Chair, told me “the students and faculty are very excited about the opportunity to perform in this beautiful auditorium. This has been a truly collaborative effort between the students, 204 music faculty, Light and Sound Technician (Jay Fontenetta), Auditorium Manager (Georgia Salerno), MV Music Parents, Maintenance Staff, Administration, IPSD 204 Project Manager (Todd DePaul), and the Indian Prairie Educational Foundation.”
This was a big change in venue for the students, whose concerts this school year have been performed in the gym, in the school’s commons and at North Central College’s Wentz Hall.
It was a big undertaking for all to set up the very first music performance in the auditorium as well as make it a seamless concert experience. This required precision on sound, lighting, the curtain, and the quiet arrival and departure of many students, some with instruments, to various locations around the auditorium without disrupting the music currently being performed. The finale “America, the Beautiful” was presented by all of the music students – with band and orchestra students on the stage and chorus students throughout the auditorium.
Parent volunteers put in many hours of preparation related to ticket reservation and organizing the logistics of rehearsal and concert night. Dozens of parents spent hours Tuesday evening working at the dress rehearsal and then on Wednesday attended one concert and worked at the other. Volunteers worked at the ticket distribution counter, at the CD sales counter, worked as ushers before and during the concerts, supervised rooms of students, and kept the student rooms notified of the concert’s progress so they would know when their turn was coming up.
After watching the rehearsal it seemed impossible that it could all flow smoothly on concert night, but it pulled together beautifully on concert night with only a few minor glitches. These students and directors have years of experience in doing just that and the directors did a terrific job in preparing the students for this impressive performance. The students looked and sounded very professional and played with the same amazing, excellent quality we have come to expect in 204. It was hard to believe that this was only 9th and 10th graders.
I heard extremely positive comments from everyone I spoke with and would say the night was an overwhelming success.
On Wednesday the Metea Valley High School Music Department presented the Grand Opening Auditorium Concert at 6 and 8pm. Approximately 320 ninth and tenth grade musicians were featured in a seamless performance of musical ensembles. The concert included all Metea Valley curricular and co-curricular ensembles including Symphonic Orchestra, Symphonic Strings, Metea Valley Symphony Orchestra (MVSO), String Quartet, Cecillian Singers, Bass Chorus, Concert Choir, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, United Voices, Symphonic Bands, Symphonic Winds, Jazz Ensemble, Steel Bands, and Percussion Ensembles.
The auditorium was completed recently and features the latest in digital audio and lighting technology, which presented a challenge for those who needed to learn how to use all the new equipment in time for the performance. There is a fully enclosed concert shell on stage and an orchestra pit. There are two alcoves above and to the sides of the stage for additional performance areas, and these were used during this concert. The auditorium area includes a scene shop, a black box theater, dressing rooms, storage rooms, and piano storage. The 880 seats are divided into three sections in both the front and rear and handicapped seating is available. 1100-1200 people attended the concerts Wednesday, including our superintendent and some members of the school board.
Earlier this week Don Devany, Fine Arts Department Chair, told me “the students and faculty are very excited about the opportunity to perform in this beautiful auditorium. This has been a truly collaborative effort between the students, 204 music faculty, Light and Sound Technician (Jay Fontenetta), Auditorium Manager (Georgia Salerno), MV Music Parents, Maintenance Staff, Administration, IPSD 204 Project Manager (Todd DePaul), and the Indian Prairie Educational Foundation.”
This was a big change in venue for the students, whose concerts this school year have been performed in the gym, in the school’s commons and at North Central College’s Wentz Hall.
It was a big undertaking for all to set up the very first music performance in the auditorium as well as make it a seamless concert experience. This required precision on sound, lighting, the curtain, and the quiet arrival and departure of many students, some with instruments, to various locations around the auditorium without disrupting the music currently being performed. The finale “America, the Beautiful” was presented by all of the music students – with band and orchestra students on the stage and chorus students throughout the auditorium.
Parent volunteers put in many hours of preparation related to ticket reservation and organizing the logistics of rehearsal and concert night. Dozens of parents spent hours Tuesday evening working at the dress rehearsal and then on Wednesday attended one concert and worked at the other. Volunteers worked at the ticket distribution counter, at the CD sales counter, worked as ushers before and during the concerts, supervised rooms of students, and kept the student rooms notified of the concert’s progress so they would know when their turn was coming up.
After watching the rehearsal it seemed impossible that it could all flow smoothly on concert night, but it pulled together beautifully on concert night with only a few minor glitches. These students and directors have years of experience in doing just that and the directors did a terrific job in preparing the students for this impressive performance. The students looked and sounded very professional and played with the same amazing, excellent quality we have come to expect in 204. It was hard to believe that this was only 9th and 10th graders.
I heard extremely positive comments from everyone I spoke with and would say the night was an overwhelming success.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
2010-03-12 Keeping our children safe from predators
I was in the midst of reading "Bringing Elizabeth Home: A Journey of Faith and Hope," written by Elizabeth Smart's parents about their experience, the miracle of their daughter's return home, and their advocacy of the Amber Alert, Child Protection Act, and the crime victims' rights amendment to the constitution, when I was invited to join a Facebook group called "Help Find Chelsea King." I read with horror about the disappearance of this high school senior who had lived in our school district for ten years and had attended school with my daughter in ninth grade before the family moved to California.
Chelsea went missing Feb. 25 when she had gone for a run in a park north of San Diego. Within a day or two, her story made local and national headlines. On March 2 my daughter and many other Waubonsie students were on break from their varsity music concert rehearsal when they got the news that their former classmate’s body had been found in a shallow grave at the park.
There are so many thoughts and feelings that occur in relation to what happened. Chelsea’s death is absolutely heartbreaking and was so unnecessary.
Focus has now turned to the man charged with Chelsea’s murder. Following this man’s guilty plea of sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl in 2000, a psychiatrist said he had “significant predatory traits” toward underage girls and should be kept in prison for as long as possible, according to a probation report released by the San Diego County Superior Court on Tuesday. He had served five of a six-year sentence for that crime before he was paroled.
This same man is now also charged with assaulting a woman in December with intent to rape in the same park where Chelsea was found, and he is the focus of an investigation into the death of 14-year-old Amber DuBois in early 2009, whose skeletal remains were found Saturday near an Indian reservation.
Questions remain about why this convicted criminal had been set free to ruin even more lives. While it is known that many sex offenders cannot be rehabilitated, these predators are still routinely allowed to roam free and re-offend.
There is a lot of discussion on the King family’s “Chelsea’s Light” Facebook group regarding actions being taken in Chelsea’s honor. California Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher has already begun working on “Chelsea’s Law” to bring relevant changes to the state’s sex offender laws. Federally, the Dubois-King Bill demands greater protections against sex offenders as well. These are great ideas, but women and children also need to be know how to protect themselves from first-time offenders or those who have not yet been caught.
As I gave my children extra hugs this past week, I pondered what I could do to help keep them from getting into situations in which they cannot protect themselves. This past week we’ve spoken more than usual about how to keep ourselves safe.
Here are some basic tips from a police officer friend: Don’t go out alone after dark. Avoid alleyways and other concealed places if possible. Carry a cell phone, but don’t use it when walking alone because that distraction can make you an easy target. Park your vehicle in well-lit areas and walk with a purpose. If you see or hear something unusual, go somewhere safe and evaluate the situation. Call the police if needed. Call the police if you are afraid to walk to your car and want an escort. If you’re ever in a situation where your life is in danger, scream as loud as you can and fight back as hard as you can.
I also looked for local opportunities to learn basic personal safety and self defense outside of long-term martial arts courses. I realized, though, that these learning opportunities are so important for children to have that they should be part of the curriculum in our schools.
My fourth-grader recently went through the “Be Smart, Be Safe” program at Brooks Elementary School. The District 204 high schools have each hosted guest speaker presentations on the topic of dating violence prevention, and the district’s middle school health courses have a unit on conflict resolution and appropriate responses to bullying.
Neuqua Valley, Metea Valley and the Frontier Campus have had a physical education unit on basic self defense available this year taught with the assistance of Mary Treacy Jansa from Eagle Academy of Martial Arts. Jansa tells me that she can tailor programs for all ages as well as specifically for Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, PTAs, or P.E. programs and can be contacted at eagleacademy@sbcglobal.net.
The local police departments and the schools do quite a lot already to address a variety of safety topics with students, but I found that District 204 does not have personal safety and self-defense as a formal part of its curriculum at any level — it really needs to be, districtwide.
I’ve read that women can be easy targets for random acts of violence due to lack of awareness of surroundings, body language, and just being in the wrong place. Though there are many common sense actions one can take to avoid danger, people need to be taught to recognize these situations and how to react quickly without having to think it through.
It is heartbreaking that anyone should ever have to face the horror of a missing or murdered child, and even more sickening when the accused has been previously convicted. I hope that some future crimes against women and children can be prevented due to actions taken politically and in the classroom as a result of the King family’s loss.
========================
For the sidebar:
http://www.naperville.il.us/dynamic_content.aspx?id=327
Be Smart, Be Safe
Fourth Grade
The “Be Smart, Be Safe” program is offered in School Districts 203, 204 and in the private schools in Naperville. This is a personal safety program presented in three school days and is instructed by a Community Education Specialist (CES) and a School Resource Officer (SRO).
The curriculum consists of the five basic safety rules, the definition of a stranger and role-playing with the students. During the course of the discussion, a stranger (who is actually one of the student’s parents dressed in disguise) “steals” the officer’s bag. The students then go on to describe the “stranger” so he can be apprehended. This activity teaches the students how to be good witnesses. The program also includes an Internet Safety component. Through the use of a Power Point program developed by Microsoft and the NPD, the students are provided safety rules regarding Internet usage, visiting chat rooms and the dangers of talking to “strangers” in the chat room. Approximately 4,000 students are served at 40 schools each year.
Chelsea went missing Feb. 25 when she had gone for a run in a park north of San Diego. Within a day or two, her story made local and national headlines. On March 2 my daughter and many other Waubonsie students were on break from their varsity music concert rehearsal when they got the news that their former classmate’s body had been found in a shallow grave at the park.
There are so many thoughts and feelings that occur in relation to what happened. Chelsea’s death is absolutely heartbreaking and was so unnecessary.
Focus has now turned to the man charged with Chelsea’s murder. Following this man’s guilty plea of sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl in 2000, a psychiatrist said he had “significant predatory traits” toward underage girls and should be kept in prison for as long as possible, according to a probation report released by the San Diego County Superior Court on Tuesday. He had served five of a six-year sentence for that crime before he was paroled.
This same man is now also charged with assaulting a woman in December with intent to rape in the same park where Chelsea was found, and he is the focus of an investigation into the death of 14-year-old Amber DuBois in early 2009, whose skeletal remains were found Saturday near an Indian reservation.
Questions remain about why this convicted criminal had been set free to ruin even more lives. While it is known that many sex offenders cannot be rehabilitated, these predators are still routinely allowed to roam free and re-offend.
There is a lot of discussion on the King family’s “Chelsea’s Light” Facebook group regarding actions being taken in Chelsea’s honor. California Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher has already begun working on “Chelsea’s Law” to bring relevant changes to the state’s sex offender laws. Federally, the Dubois-King Bill demands greater protections against sex offenders as well. These are great ideas, but women and children also need to be know how to protect themselves from first-time offenders or those who have not yet been caught.
As I gave my children extra hugs this past week, I pondered what I could do to help keep them from getting into situations in which they cannot protect themselves. This past week we’ve spoken more than usual about how to keep ourselves safe.
Here are some basic tips from a police officer friend: Don’t go out alone after dark. Avoid alleyways and other concealed places if possible. Carry a cell phone, but don’t use it when walking alone because that distraction can make you an easy target. Park your vehicle in well-lit areas and walk with a purpose. If you see or hear something unusual, go somewhere safe and evaluate the situation. Call the police if needed. Call the police if you are afraid to walk to your car and want an escort. If you’re ever in a situation where your life is in danger, scream as loud as you can and fight back as hard as you can.
I also looked for local opportunities to learn basic personal safety and self defense outside of long-term martial arts courses. I realized, though, that these learning opportunities are so important for children to have that they should be part of the curriculum in our schools.
My fourth-grader recently went through the “Be Smart, Be Safe” program at Brooks Elementary School. The District 204 high schools have each hosted guest speaker presentations on the topic of dating violence prevention, and the district’s middle school health courses have a unit on conflict resolution and appropriate responses to bullying.
Neuqua Valley, Metea Valley and the Frontier Campus have had a physical education unit on basic self defense available this year taught with the assistance of Mary Treacy Jansa from Eagle Academy of Martial Arts. Jansa tells me that she can tailor programs for all ages as well as specifically for Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, PTAs, or P.E. programs and can be contacted at eagleacademy@sbcglobal.net.
The local police departments and the schools do quite a lot already to address a variety of safety topics with students, but I found that District 204 does not have personal safety and self-defense as a formal part of its curriculum at any level — it really needs to be, districtwide.
I’ve read that women can be easy targets for random acts of violence due to lack of awareness of surroundings, body language, and just being in the wrong place. Though there are many common sense actions one can take to avoid danger, people need to be taught to recognize these situations and how to react quickly without having to think it through.
It is heartbreaking that anyone should ever have to face the horror of a missing or murdered child, and even more sickening when the accused has been previously convicted. I hope that some future crimes against women and children can be prevented due to actions taken politically and in the classroom as a result of the King family’s loss.
========================
For the sidebar:
http://www.naperville.il.us/dynamic_content.aspx?id=327
Be Smart, Be Safe
Fourth Grade
The “Be Smart, Be Safe” program is offered in School Districts 203, 204 and in the private schools in Naperville. This is a personal safety program presented in three school days and is instructed by a Community Education Specialist (CES) and a School Resource Officer (SRO).
The curriculum consists of the five basic safety rules, the definition of a stranger and role-playing with the students. During the course of the discussion, a stranger (who is actually one of the student’s parents dressed in disguise) “steals” the officer’s bag. The students then go on to describe the “stranger” so he can be apprehended. This activity teaches the students how to be good witnesses. The program also includes an Internet Safety component. Through the use of a Power Point program developed by Microsoft and the NPD, the students are provided safety rules regarding Internet usage, visiting chat rooms and the dangers of talking to “strangers” in the chat room. Approximately 4,000 students are served at 40 schools each year.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
2010-03-05 Indian Plains students visit county crime lab
Most of us have seen crime shows on TV that portray a group of investigators gathering evidence at the scene, analyzing that evidence in a lab with amazingly quick and accurate results, and then solving the crime, all in a day or two!
My family got a glimpse of how it’s really done, and how long it takes, when we went on the tour at the new Aurora Police Department last year. Students at Indian Plains High School had an even more in-depth look at real-life crime investigation when they visited the DuPage County crime lab at the county complex last month.
Suzie Hansen, a teacher at the Graduation Academy at Indian Plains, said the students found the trip to be beneficial as it dispelled many myths perpetuated on TV. These students have been studying the criminal justice system in Street Law this year. In this class the students gain a practical understanding of the roles that law, lawyers, law enforcement officers, and the legal system play in our society. They begin with an introduction of criminal and civil law, focusing on the differences between the two, and then move on to learning about trial and appeals court and the American jury system.
Hansen explains that their focus this semester has been “on the criminal justice system, and the causes and nature of crimes against the person and against property. Prior to the field trip the students studied their 4th Amendment rights to gain a better understanding of what constitutes an unreasonable search. They learned what was necessary for an arrest to take place, including the difference between reasonable suspicion and probable cause, Terry Stops, and searching with and without a warrant. An Aurora police officer spoke to the students to clarify any questions and misunderstanding they may have of the procedures used by officers in an arrest.”
A forensic scientist at the DuPage County Sheriff’s Crime Laboratory told me that the crime lab moved into their current facility in 2004 after almost five years of planning. One of the things planned for was hosting a large number of tours. Tour groups view a short video outside each of four laboratory sections and then observe the actual workings of the lab through viewing windows. Visitors can’t actually go into the individual sections due to security of the evidence and the need to prevent contamination of the evidence.
The students had an opportunity to see where firearm and tool marks are examined and to see the lab’s reference collection of guns and where the test firing of firearms is done. They got to watch a drug chemist working, as the lab receives and analyzes many different types of drug cases daily. The lab has a full service Biology/DNA section where the students saw how biological samples are collected and how DNA samples are extracted. In the Latent Print Section they watched a scientist process evidence for latent fingerprints and conduct comparisons to victims and suspects. The students learned how the laboratory’s Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) is used to identify suspects. In this same section they learned about the use of footwear and tire track impressions.
The tour was both fascinating and educational and the students saw first-hand how science and technology solve real crimes.
My family got a glimpse of how it’s really done, and how long it takes, when we went on the tour at the new Aurora Police Department last year. Students at Indian Plains High School had an even more in-depth look at real-life crime investigation when they visited the DuPage County crime lab at the county complex last month.
Suzie Hansen, a teacher at the Graduation Academy at Indian Plains, said the students found the trip to be beneficial as it dispelled many myths perpetuated on TV. These students have been studying the criminal justice system in Street Law this year. In this class the students gain a practical understanding of the roles that law, lawyers, law enforcement officers, and the legal system play in our society. They begin with an introduction of criminal and civil law, focusing on the differences between the two, and then move on to learning about trial and appeals court and the American jury system.
Hansen explains that their focus this semester has been “on the criminal justice system, and the causes and nature of crimes against the person and against property. Prior to the field trip the students studied their 4th Amendment rights to gain a better understanding of what constitutes an unreasonable search. They learned what was necessary for an arrest to take place, including the difference between reasonable suspicion and probable cause, Terry Stops, and searching with and without a warrant. An Aurora police officer spoke to the students to clarify any questions and misunderstanding they may have of the procedures used by officers in an arrest.”
A forensic scientist at the DuPage County Sheriff’s Crime Laboratory told me that the crime lab moved into their current facility in 2004 after almost five years of planning. One of the things planned for was hosting a large number of tours. Tour groups view a short video outside each of four laboratory sections and then observe the actual workings of the lab through viewing windows. Visitors can’t actually go into the individual sections due to security of the evidence and the need to prevent contamination of the evidence.
The students had an opportunity to see where firearm and tool marks are examined and to see the lab’s reference collection of guns and where the test firing of firearms is done. They got to watch a drug chemist working, as the lab receives and analyzes many different types of drug cases daily. The lab has a full service Biology/DNA section where the students saw how biological samples are collected and how DNA samples are extracted. In the Latent Print Section they watched a scientist process evidence for latent fingerprints and conduct comparisons to victims and suspects. The students learned how the laboratory’s Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) is used to identify suspects. In this same section they learned about the use of footwear and tire track impressions.
The tour was both fascinating and educational and the students saw first-hand how science and technology solve real crimes.
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