Will County superintendent reviews new reinforced security windows at Bolingbrook H.S.

Bolingbrook — Will County Regional Superintendent Dr. Lisa Caparelli-Ruff visited Bolingbrook High School Monday to view the recently installed Clear-Armor windows alongside representatives from the company and the school district.

The Will County Regional Office of Education in March allocated $70,000 from county cannabis revenue to fund extra security on the glass of one major entrance and exit for each high school in Will County.

The window laminates are designed to reinforce the glass against potential attackers and severe weather events.

“We are nearly completed today, and we were happy to welcome Clear-Armor and get a first-hand look at what it looked like,” said Caparelli-Ruff.

“Dr. Caparelli-Ruff has a long standing commitment to ensuring safe schools, going back to her days as a dean at Bolingbrook High School,” the Will County ROE said in a statement.

As a dean at Bolingbrook High School, Caparalli-Ruff worked closely with school resource officers from the Bolingbrook Police Department, including Carter Larry, who is now the Valley View School District Director of Safety and Security, according to the announcement.

“They were a hands-on team and prioritized making Bolingbrook High School a secure environment for all students, staff, and visitors,” the ROE statement said. “Their partnership and focus on school safety is now stronger than ever as they both endeavor to foster a culture focused on keeping all students, staff, and parents safe.”

With Bolingbrook High School’s windows secure, only three of the county’s 21 high schools remain to be secured.

“We’re in the process of scheduling with the last two districts,” said Caparelli-Ruff. “It needs to be done discreetly after hours and on weekends so the public and students don’t all know which doorway is reinforced, though it is one of the most used doorways at each school.”

While the county was only able to fund one doorway at each high school, Caparelli-Ruff said that many of the districts are already working on plans with Clear-Armor on reinforcing their remaining entrances.

The Will County ROE anticipates all 21 high schools will have their funded projects complete by the end of the school year.

“The project moved very quickly from announcement through execution,” Caparelli-Ruff said. “Clear-Armor worked well with the districts scheduling the work and sticking to our budget.”

At the time the project was approved in March, Caparelli-Ruff said that her office is exploring options to fund a similar project for the county’s junior high schools, as Phase II of the project.