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Saturday, December 22, 2012

School Security: Why It’s So Hard Io Keep Kids Safe

As children across the country returned to their first day back in the classroom since 20 first-graders and six adults were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., parents probably took a second look at the doors and fences that are supposed to keep their kids safe. If they hadn’t thought much about school security before the Sandy Hook tragedy, they are certainly thinking about it now.

I know I was. My youngest daughter typically files into school with her kindergarten classmates, her big backpack overwhelming her little body. On Monday, I walked her in. I hugged her, whispered “stay safe,” then continued on to the office. After Sandy Hook, I asked the secretary, are we rethinking school security?

At my daughters’ public school in Washington state, there is next to none. The front door remains unlocked throughout the day; visitors are supposed to sign in at the office but no one enforces that. (I know; I’ve skirted the policy myself many times when I’ve been in a hurry to drop off something they have forgotten.) The situation is even worse at my son’s school, where visitors enter without being seen by anyone in the office, which is tucked away from the entrance. His former public school in North Carolina swung to the opposite extreme: all guests were met at the entrance by a security guard, who photographed them and required an ID before printing out a badge that had to be worn while in the school. Meanwhile, in the New York school system, my aunt has to pass by surveillance cameras to reach the classroom where she teaches.

11 comments:

  1. A lot of big city school kids are more dangerous then the people entering the front door.
    You laugh, Tell them No! they can't do something. The hate streams from their eyes. If some others are standing around, watch out. I'd rather met the thug at the front door.

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  2. Government office buildings have more security than our schools.

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  3. Cops in secondary schools are there mostly to protect the kids from other kids. Most of the time, that's not necessary in elementary schools. Also, elementary schools are usually set up to be welcoming to parents who want to volunteer and visit, so it's tough to strike a balance between that and protection from crazy people.

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  4. Home schooling for those who care.

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  5. The vast majority of parents don't homeschool and do care.

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  6. The majority of parents care but home schooling is not an option them, for various reasons.

    How safe is a child anywhere?

    Everyone is dwelling on school safety today, whereas tomorrow it could be bus safety, walking down the street safety, etc.

    No matter how hard the people try to prevent it, there is no way to keep a child always safe if someone choses to do harm.

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  7. Home schooling is intrusive in my free time.

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  8. THE BOARD OF EDUCATION IN MD HAS MORE SECURITY THAN THE SCHOOLS DO.

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  9. The fact is no amount of security can stop a person who is hell bent on doing harm! Just look at suicide bombers and what harm they have cause in this world. NO and I repeat NO AMOUNT OF SECURITY OR GUN CONTROL WILL STOP THESE PEOPLE!

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  10. I breed them,...you raise them.

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  11. Bring God back! He will be watching.

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