ROMEOVILLE, Ill. (WLS) — There have been no specific threats at Romeoville High School Wednesday. Nevertheless, the district had extra security on-hand, and extra sensitivity following a mass shooting in Minneapolis.

Some schools in Romeoville and other suburbs are also implementing a new product that could protect students and staff against possible gunfire.

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It’s called Clear Armor. It is a film that can resist gunfire, keeping it from penetrating windows from the outside. But, from the other side, it can allow investigators to fire at a shooter.

“The evildoers out there in the world are constantly changing the game, and so we have to keep up,” Valley View District Security Director Carter Larry said.

With 21 schools and nearly 16,000 students, the Valley View District in the southwest suburbs is one of the largest districts in the state. And it takes safety and security seriously, regularly updating the training for the security officers the district has in every building. And like most other districts, it also runs through age-appropriate drills with students and staff.

“What we may train our middle and high school students in, we don’t necessarily train our elementary school students,” Larry said.

The alleged shooter in Minneapolis reportedly barricaded the doors from the outside so no one could escape before firing shots through the windows. School security experts say the training is continually evolving as the approaches used by criminals keep changing. But the one constant they say is that someone usually has information in advance that could help authorities prevent the shooting.

“We need to make sure, if someone’s doing something like this, someone sees something and says something, so we can protect our kids. This is happening too much,” school security expert Randy Braverman said.

The clear armor over the windows can be costly. But the school safety director said the added layer of security is worth it. He is working on trying to get grants to pay for outfitting more of the district’s schools with Clear Armor.

Catholics grow wary

The former violence prevention director for the Chicago Archdiocese says the school shooting in Minneapolis brings up tragic memories of his own shooting he survived decades ago. This comes while some Catholic school parents said they’re left concerned.

Fear and precaution loom over the Holy Name Cathedral campus in downtown Chicago as The Francis Xavier Warde School prepares to welcome back its students next week.

“I can’t even imagine to be in their shoes. I always tell my kids that you never know when the day God’s going to call us home,” said Fred, the parent of two Francis Xavier Warde School students.

Phil Andrew is the former director of violence prevention for the Chicago Archdiocese.

“We’ve seen people attack schools and churches from the outside before, but these still are very rare,” Andrew said.

The ex-FBI agent is also a survivor of another deadly school shooting.

In 1988, he was shot in his family home right after his shooter opened fire on children at Hubbard Woods Elementary in Winnetka.

“These are children and parents that will be traumatized for a long time. What we know about best practices is to surge in mental health resources, really, kind of the crisis response that we’ve learned from Highland Park, that we learned from the Winnetka shooting that I survived,” Andrew said.

The Diocese of Joliet says it plans to meet with all its principals Thursday for the first meeting of the new school year to review updated safety and emergency preparedness protocols.

Chicago-area leaders react to Minnesota shooting

Chicago-area leaders have been reacting Wednesday to the Minnesota shooting.

Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich said in a statement:

“I have been following news reports on the shooting at Annunciation Church and School in Minnesota. While events are still unfurling, what we know now is that two children ages 8 and 10 were killed and 17 persons were injured, 14 of them children. Two children are in critical condition. While such shootings have sadly become commonplace, this one hits close to home, not only because it occurred at a Catholic school, but also because the gunman shot through the windows of a church where children and their teachers were praying at the start of a new school year. If any place should have been safe, it should have been there. If any time should have been safe, it should have been then. Tragically, we know no place or time when Americans – even children – are safe from the curse of gun violence. While we join our prayers with others that those injured in body and spirit will heal and that the murdered children will be received into heaven, we must also cry out for action to prevent even one more such tragedy.

“The facts are clear. Guns are plentiful and common sense attempts to limit their availability have been largely rejected in the name of a freedom not found in our constitution. Cutbacks in funding for health care and social service programs will only exacerbate a national mental health crisis and increase alienation. We therefore pray for those who hold the power to make the safety of our people a national priority. We ask God to give them the courage to take the steps they know will alleviate if not eliminate the fear parents must feel sending their children off to school and Americans feel leaving their homes for simple errands. Surely they must be moved by these shootings. We pray that they will not see them as inevitable because then we will have certainly surrendered our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

“Please pray and please act.

“Now.”

Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement:

“Illinois is holding the people of Minnesota closely to our hearts today. The start of the school year should be a time of renewed hope, not gun violence and devastation. We stand with the victims and their families in Minneapolis.”

Sen. Dick Durbin said in a statement:

“During the first week of school, students should be welcoming the new school year and making new friends. Instead, students at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minnesota experienced a horrifying shooting. It’s heartbreaking. My prayers are with the Annunciation Catholic School community.”

Sen. Tammy Duckworth said in a statement: “I’m absolutely heartbroken for the students, parents and loved ones affected by the horrific school shooting in Minneapolis. Not even one week into the school year, gun violence just changed their lives forever. We owe it to our kids to pass commonsense gun safety reforms.”