Illinois lawmakers set out to work with educators, mental health professionals and police and others to help mentally ill children in the hopes of preventing school shootings.
The Violence Prevention Task Force that met Monday was spearheaded by House Speaker Michael Madigan. It was created after a report out of Connecticut last year revealed mental health professionals and educators missed several chances to help Adam Lanza before he went on a shooting spree in 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Twenty children and six educators were gunned down before Lanza killed himself.
Committee members acknowledged that given the financial straits of Illinois that tough choices have to be made about which initiatives to fund, but they said something has to be done to protect the state's children.
