Stevenson has implemented new measures to ensure the security of significant school events, particularly in football games in response to rising threats to school safety across the country over the past couple of years. These measures are broadly focused on preparation for potential threats and specific policies designed to minimize risks, resulting from work by Stevenson’s athletics and security departments.
In November, at the tail end of the 2023 football season, the school principals of the North Suburban Conference (NSC) had a meeting regarding athletics and safety. One of the larger changes that came out of this meeting was the new bag policy, which requires that students leave any large backpacks or purses behind before attending a football game at Stevenson.
“The Athletic Directors of the Conference get together every month to discuss athletic events, scheduling, bylaws, sportsmanship, and best practices for safety,” Director of Athletics Trish Betthauser said. “It was an important topic for several schools to make all rules universal, and there is safety in the standard expectations.”
The athletic department has also implemented policies requiring that students utilize minimal face paint to be recognizable, banning certain types of noisemakers, and mandating that all typical school rules are followed, such as the prohibition on weapons and controlled substances. Extra attention is put to football games due to larger crowds.
“We will add security according to crowds on home Friday nights,” Betthauser said. “We get support from the Lincolnshire police, and Emergency Medical Technician services from Lincolnshire Riverwoods are always on site. Recently, we have had a stronger presence at admission gates and additional security positioned before and after the game.”
According to CNN and studies by the Virginia government, as of Sept. 20 2024, there have been 50 shootings on school grounds, many of which occur outside of school hours. The increasing frequency of these shootings has resulted in changes to Stevenson’s preparation for sizable events.
“Whenever something catastrophic happens, we take what we know to see if there is anything [we] can apply to any upcoming events,” Assistant Principal of Operations, Eric Ramos said. “We are one of the most secure places during football games, but we still bring attention to anything that could be quickly applied at Stevenson.”
While Stevenson’s security and athletic teams put a significant amount of effort into safety protocols at games, Ramos sees the people of Stevenson as another source of safety. Stevenson offers many support systems, including each student’s Student Support Team, mental health day options, and mental health clubs such as Peer Helpers. These systems aim to create an inclusive and safe culture at Stevenson.
“One of the most important aspects is to make sure that the culture is to not have interpersonal conflicts,” Ramos said. “Nobody wants to ruin the game; we can harden this building as much as we want, but the reality is that when everybody is here to enjoy the game, that shared community helps us out.”
Another unique concern that the operations department deals with is visiting students at home football games. Along with NSC specific policies, Stevenson has implemented more restrictions to separate visiting and home spectators.
“We have separated the student sections, and have two concession areas, two bathrooms, and two stands, so there is no reason for an individual from another school to be on the wrong side,” Betthauser said. “We also no longer have cash as an option, to eliminate the temptation to steal anything.”
Even with these policies in place, at the first home football game, there were still students who came with bags. Ramos thinks that additional communication is needed, and that the goal of school security is to assist students who may come with bags, not turn them away, so that everyone can enjoy the games.
“We now have an app where we can push out information to every adult in the institution, we are fully staffed in security for the first time, and we are looking at how we rotate through the building in a purposeful way,” said Ramos. “We are trying to build redundant systems, it is really an iterative process and we always have to adapt.”