District security chief outlines school safety work; Gaggle monitoring flags 305 items since launch
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Summary
The district’s director of security described daily duties, training and equipment; administrators reported Gaggle monitoring produced 305 flagged items since launch and that the Teams messaging app on student devices is increasing the volume of monitored content.
Aaron Peppers, the district’s director of security, briefed the Proviso Twp HSD 209 board Oct. 14 on the scope of the security office’s duties, training, and technology and answered board questions on response protocols.
Peppers said his office oversees security staff and coordinates coverages for parking lots, crossing points, hallways, cafeterias and buses; he described monthly training and the district’s use of ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) protocols and "rally points" for drills. He also described a Raptor drill-management system for tracking drills and said the district has acquired CT-style scanners for certain security checkpoints.
On electronic monitoring, administrators reported that the district’s Gaggle system — which scans district-provisioned productivity and communication tools such as Microsoft Teams and email — produced 305 questionable-content "hits" since rollout, of which 205 had been investigated and resolved and about 100 were still open or newly flagged at the time of the report. District staff said most flagged items come from Teams messaging.
Administrators told the board they are reviewing whether to restrict student-to-student messaging in Teams because the platform is accessible on district-provided computers even when phones are held in check. The transcript records the point that Teams was originally intended to facilitate teacher-to-student communications more than free student messaging; staff said they are evaluating whether to restrict some capabilities while preserving teacher-student contact.
Peppers said the security team is focused on professionalism, de-escalation training and consistent report writing; he told the board security staff are trained to email or call him immediately about urgent, egregious incidents so the administration can escalate to Dr. Alvarez and other appropriate staff.
Board members asked about metal detectors and walk-through detectors; Peppers said the district is exploring upgraded walk-through detectors and smaller CT scanners for older buildings that lack large checkpoint rooms.
Separately, administrators reported that the district’s "Let’s Talk" communications app has produced modest usage since its Aug. 19 launch (47 dialogues at the time of the report), but staff said response times were averaging under 24 hours and that the district is working to increase community use of the tool.
No formal board actions were taken during the security report; the board heard the updates and asked staff to continue evaluating Teams restrictions and equipment needs.
