Received this today:
It’s the end of the second paragraph that gives me pause. What policies or products can be suggested that have a remote chance of making a difference in event of an emergency?
All I can think of are good doors & locks, but there must be more options out there. Anything in the way of best practices or other valuable information that can be passed along?
Apparently I’m not the only one…
I have been questioning the security at my kids school for some time and will be addressing it at the next school meeting. But from doing volunteer work at the school it is easy to see that it is a super soft target and if some crack pot decided to shoot the place up there would be mass causalities.
But as a knee jerk measure to the recent shooting they did make a few minor changes which did not amount to much but is better then what they had.
Take down the gun free zone signs to start with. No need to force anyone to get training and carry a gun, but if they are qualified to carry, let them carry.
Wasn’t the doors locked and the shooter was buzzed in because he was known?
No. Last I heard reported was he broke the glass and let himself in.
Hire retired cops, put them in schools.
The Palm Beach County School Board has a police force, as do many school districts. Every officer i have ever seen on campus was carrying and most are former LEO. I am a certified educator and have substituted, part of the orientation process includes a safety brief/policy familiarization of security measures. Our ID badges have a secondary card with PBCSD color coded security measures with instructions.
The Cycle on MSNBC had a guest on monday who specializes in security improvements in schools(mostly international work). He made a very specific point to let the hosts know that this shooting, while horribly tragic, is about the most rare form of physical danger that the children and administrators will actually face…that pretty much took the winds of out Toure’s sails!
In my high school english class today, we discussed whether or not we felt safe. Anyways, I was thinking about some stuff, like 1) the glass is probably not ballistic glass and 2) the walls are probably just drywall & other normal construction stuff. I’d be worried that a gunman could just shoot through walls, etc if they were determined.
^^^^Im in full agreement^^^^ One idea that I do like, is volunteer “security”. In conjunction with the SRO’s, my daughters school, allows (actively seeks) off duty LEO’s (parents), myself included to volunteer our time. At any given time we will have a couple armed off duty guys walking the school as well as an SRO on campus.
How about a new administrative office, under DHS, that is essentially civil marshals? Staff it with the military vets that are all looking for jobs since they have the training and experience to function in a rational way when the stress level suddenly goes off the chart. Put them in schools, malls, theaters, etc.
Harden the targets.
Would these guys show up at these places if they knew that a Ranger or Marine, etc was there, waiting, and completely ready to end their silly asses over this kind of bullshit?
Times is not what it used to be, these days DHS needs to have a dept specifically for this type of situation like some other posters have said, there have been many shootings already so why not have it? Some agencies in the govt have depts for auto theft, money laundering, fraud etc etc… why not create something for the sake of our children and safety of all of them including the rest of the school personnel. I think that would be more effective to do instead of a ban. It is right there in front of your eyes where you can see that a weapon ban has not worked in other places…
Hell no they wouldnt!
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Remember, anything that further constrains a school’s budget is going to be more difficult to implement. Stick to the KISS principle FIRST and look for things a school could do (plans/proceedures/SOP’s/drills ect.) that would improve their security response and not have a cost.
Then, start looking at things that would cost, and do a cost/benefit analysis on each. Sure, hiring full-time armed security would be great, but in the long-run it’s probably not going to last as it will be expensive and one of the first things cut out of a budget when all the hype subsides.
I would look at these as LEVELS; Level 1 being those things that at no cost provide a more secure environment, and Level 3 or 4 being the top of the line. If I could just get our school to Level 1, it would IMHO double their current posture. My childs PRIVATE school will not receive government funding.
You are in the right path my man, I couldn’t agree even more too… First thing first and like you said, we need to find the way to make secure with the resources that the school currently have and then if need be for more then go up a level. Right now what you need is the response of other parents and have them join you.
This school is not but about 5 miles from where I work. Wonder how long it will last before somebody makes him leave…
I appreciate what he does, And I would do it for my kids too. Hopefully the school don’t give him any problem. =/
Even better: Way to go Tennessee!!
http://now.msn.com/tennessee-legislature-considers-arming-teachers-to-prevent-school-shootings
Sometimes I just wish NY were a follower…