Illinois will spend $10 million to expand the Chicago district’s Safe Passage program, which trains adults to monitor designated walking routes to the city’s schools. The employees monitor traffic, watch for threats like gang activity, and report incidents to authorities.
The new investment is expected to employ 600 new workers, Gov. Pat Quinn said in an announcement. That will help add 27 schools to the program and expand routes to 93 schools that currently participate.
Following school closures last year, the district expanded the program to support more students during their transition to new schools. According to the district, the program led to a 20 percent decline in criminal incidents around Safe Passage schools, a 27 percent drop in incidents among students, and a 7 percent increase in attendance over the past two years in high schools that have the program.
