Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner visited Dixon High School Monday to honor the school’s resource officer. Mark Dallas stopped a gunman at the school in May, shooting him before any students or faculty members were harmed. That student was taken into custody.
Officer Dallas spoke about the events of that day, and how important it was to have a trained professional on site.
“Within seconds of the first gun shot, I responded," Dallas recalled during Rauner's visit. "A rapid response to the threat of a school shooter was the only thing that prevented a slaughter right here where we now stand.”
The governor is calling on lawmakers to pass legislation to pay for additional resource officers or mental health professionals.
"We want every school that would like to have a resource officer and or mental health professional, to make sure they have the financial resources to be able to obtain that service," Rauner said. "It’s vitally important.”
It would allow school districts to ask voters to add a taxto hire them.
Governor Rauner says he hopes to get the bill passed as soon as possible.
He has not decided if he should call for a special session in Springfield to look at the issue.
