Joliet schools will have a heighted police presence on campuses in wake of a school shooting that left 19 children and two teachers at a Texas elementary school dead in Uvalde, Texas, officials said.
According to the Joliet Police Department, "there will be a marked increased police presence at all schools" within the Chicago suburb for the remainder of the school year.
"The Joliet Police Department is very closely monitoring national events regarding tragic and unnecessary school violence," the department said. "The safety of students and staff at our area schools is paramount."
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
The increased presence comes just one day after an 18-year-old gunman slaughtered 19 children and two teachers at a Texas elementary school.
Tuesday's attack in the heavily Latino town of Uvalde was the deadliest shooting at a U.S. school since a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012.
The attack was the latest grim moment for a country scarred by a string of massacres, coming just 10 days after a deadly, racist rampage at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket. And the prospects for any reform of the nation’s gun regulations seemed as dim, if not dimmer, than in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook deaths.
Local
Elsewhere in the Chicago area, schools were offering support services for staff and students.
"The safety of our school community remains our highest priority," District 62 in Des Plaines wrote in a letter Wednesday. "We understand that our students and staff may need additional support during this time. We want to reinforce that we have support services available and systems in place to identify those who may be struggling with this horrible event. Please contact your school social worker or building principal if you or someone you know needs support."
