McCloy urges statewide school resource officer funding at Davis’s annual Whitetail Christmas gala
Kristina McCloy, founder of Concerned Parents of Illinois, said that Illinois lawmakers must establish statewide funding for school resource officers (SRO), arguing that students need the same level of protection afforded to public officials.
McCloy made the remarks while addressing attendees at State Rep. Jed Davis’s annual Whitetail Christmas gala, held in Yorkville on Saturday, Dec. 6.
She went on to describe witnessing the aftermath of the shooting at Northern Illinois University and how it influenced her commitment to school safety.
“That had a massive impact on me,” McCloy said at the gala. “It is a sick national trend, these school shootings. Why does every politician and government building have security, but our kids do not? They have protection in high schools, but our elementary schools are completely vulnerable.”
McCloy said the lack of consistent protection for students prompted her to contact Davis.
“I realized we need to provide the same security to all children in Illinois,” she said. “I called my favorite state representative in the Freedom Caucus, the only group I trust for this issue, and Jed acted immediately, as a father and grandfather who cares about kids, and introduced it in the House. It is now scheduled to move to the Senate next session.”
She told attendees the proposal is expected to move to the Senate next session and urged them to get involved.
“I urge and beg you to make sure that you call all your state reps, all your senators, everyone in government, and please give parents the peace of mind they deserve and protect our kids the way they should be protected,” McCloy said.
Davis used the event to reiterate his support for House Bill 1346, which he developed with McCloy and would create a statewide grant program reimbursing districts for hiring certified SROs.
He has previously characterized the legislation as needed to help schools afford “necessary safety measures.”
“It’s long past time for us to start investing in safer schools for our children,” Davis said in a September press release announcing the bill. “House Bill 1346 provides every school with the resources they need to hire trained law enforcement professionals who will keep our students, teachers, and faculty safe while at school.”
At the gala, Davis criticized state spending priorities that he says sideline student safety.
“We fund insanity in Springfield, but we can't fund officers to protect our young, our greatest assets, every day,” he told the audience. “We are going to work hard in the upcoming session. We return in January, but not much will happen until March seventeenth.”
Davis emphasized that while the legislative session would start slowly, pressure would intensify after key deadlines to advance the bill.
“Springfield will drag its feet to avoid accountability on votes,” he said. “After March 17, however, things will heat up quickly, and we will be applying pressure. We have a similar bill in the Senate.”
“I'll have the bill in the House, we'll have the bill in the Senate, and I don't care which one gets to the finish line as long as one of them does, it is a win,” he said. “If it passes, I don't really care whose name's on it. I just want to get it over the finish line.”
Davis represents the 75th House District, covering parts of Grundy, Kendall, LaSalle and Will counties.
A member of the Illinois Freedom Caucus, a conservative group advocating limited government, state authority and opposition to federal overreach, Davis has made school safety a key part of his “Protecting Kids” legislative package.
The push for expanded SRO funding comes amid a broader statewide debate over school safety.
Only days after the gala an intruder crawled through a window at Downers Grove High School around 1:30 a.m. and attempted to rob a maintenance worker before fleeing after encountering a second employee.
McCloy pointed to the security breach in DuPage County to underscore her concerns.
“Shame on Downers Grove High School for a security breach this serious,” McCloy wrote in a message to the Concerned Parents of Illinois Facebook group. “There is no excuse for an unlocked window allowing an intruder inside a school. You can bet something like this would never happen at the Illinois State Capitol, because politicians actually protect their own lives!”
“Are our children worth less than politicians?”
“This is exactly why every school needs real security and police protection!!”
McCloy’s comments echo that of former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas who in October criticized Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson for removing SROs from Chicago Public Schools while maintaining a large personal security detail, a move the National Association of School Resource Officers also warned could increase risks on school campuses.
“Note that while 150 officers protect the Mayor, thanks to Stacy Davis Gates and CTU pressure, there are no police officers assigned to schools to deter active shooters,” Vallas said. “This comes despite the tripling of school shootings across the country the past decade and Chicago leading the nation in youth violence.”