When it comes to safety, practice drills, protocols and police collaboration are being reviewed in Minooka Community Consolidated School District 201 as the 2025-26 school year gets underway.

William Lipke, a retired police officer and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, joined District 201 this school year, serving as the district’s school safety coordinator. Lipke spoke of some of the initiatives he has taken as he settles into his new role at District 201’s Aug. 18 school board meeting.

“The ground that you had laid, prior to me being brought on, is fantastic,” Lipke said to District 201’s board and administrators as he provided a safety update at the recent meting. “The work that all of you did with creating different programs and different planning, prior to my arrival, is the foundation of what we continue to double down on, moving forward.”

At a high level, Lipke said his intent, as District 201’s school safety coordinator, is to build off the work that already has taken place and enhance it further.

In his first weeks on the job, Lipke indicated he reviewed potential vulnerabilities across each of District 201’s school buildings. As the new school year gets underway, he is doubling down on such fundamentals as the importance of ensuring all side doors are inaccessible and to have all visitors enter through the main entryway.

Lipke also reiterated all school buildings have in place functional camera systems that operate at all hours of the day.

“We’re going to continue to push our safety protocols in the direction we need them to go in order to make our district the safest possible,” Lipke said.

As has been the case in prior school years, assorted drills and procedures are being reviewed via staff training and in-school activities that involve students during the regular instructional day.

One active threat preparation District 201 is currently engaged in is the run, hide and fight model that includes techniques to combat violent intruders.

“It is age appropriate,” Lipke said. “We are beginning to set up these drills at each of the schools, moving forward, trying to get them done early on in the year, because you just never know.”

While preparation and planning are key to any school district, Lipke said it is especially true of a district such as District 201 because of its structural characteristics. He illustrated this point as he discussed planning reunification of students with parents and guardians if and when an emergency was to occur.

“This is a collaborative effort between our district and all of the different police and fire departments that we happen to reside in,” Lipke said. “This is a very unique district. The size of it, and the different agencies that we touch – it is critical for us to all be on the same page when it comes to the reunification.”

While there is a natural hope none of the planning and protocols ever will be needed, District 201 Superintendent Rachel Kinder said security safeguards remain one of the district’s highest priorities.

“We’ve continued the strong presence that the district has established with having a very strong school safety program,” Kinder said. “We’re continuing to push and grow and do everything possible.”

Board member Adam Shainberg lauded the work District 201 officials have taken in recent years — including, most recently, with the arrival of Lipke — to strengthen school safety.

“We’ve thought this through, we have people in place,” Shainberg said. “When we first put these plans in place a few years ago, I’ll be honest, I didn’t realize we were going to be so far ahead to where we are at right now in this short amount of time.”