In December 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary school a nut case took the lives of 20 first-graders and six adults.
In 2007 at Virginia Tech it was 33 killed and 25 injured.
Columbine was in 1999.
We’ve had school shootings for several years and what has been done about security in schools? Not really very much.
The number of public schools locking or closely monitoring their building doors has risen significantly, though relatively few schools have added metal detectors or required clear backpacks on campus. Only one in five schools used security cameras in 1999. Today, three out of five schools use them.
Many school districts are violating at least some aspect of the laws requiring them to submit school security information.
For instance, one key regulation in one state requires districts to submit what is known as a School Security and Safety Plan, a 30-page document developed by the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, each September to that agency. But that states records show that nearly 100 school districts haven’t submitted a plan and nearly 60 haven’t submitted a plan in several years. How is this keeping students safe?
In 2017 a sophomore student shot and killed a fellow classmate by walking unimpeded into his high school building. Just like every other student that morning.
Students and staff likely had no reason to question, much less fear his presence. Yet less than 15 minutes later he killed one student and injured three others.
That event represents the fundamental challenge of school security: balancing the public nature of schools with safety and security.
Many districts have spent millions of dollars on security projects yet shootings are still occurring.
Between 1974 and 2013 three-fourths of school violence was committed by students. Nonstudent intruders accounted for just over 10 percent.
So my question is this, where are the lawmakers that want to actually do something? There will be some that want gun control. But the problem is more than the wrong person getting their hands on guns. There are many parts to this problem that are failing. Columbine (1999) happened during the gun ban (1994-2014)!
I don’t see why law enforcement, law makers, the NRA, the security community, the medical world, and educators can’t get together and figure out how to tackle these problems together. But I guess that is too much to ask. I think they could also figure out how to pay for it and how to enforce what they come up with.
My children are grown except for the youngest and they are finishing up high school. We have Homeschooled our kids for several reasons. I would recommend it but it’s not for everyone. Do what is best for your family. But if my children were in public school now I would do certain things to help them be more secure.
First, depending on their age, I would talk to them. And we have. Our kids are exposed to safety, guns, and situational awareness early in their lives. They understand preparedness and why we do it. So I feel I could talk to my kids about anything. We’ve also worked really hard to keep all the communication lines open with our kids. They have known that they could talk to us about anything at a young age. We worked hard to not go crazy when they tell us something that would make us crazy. So we set the groundwork for communication with our children and so should you.
The facts are this and youth should know this. In the last 20 years about half of school shootings have happened in towns with populations of 50,000 or less. Knowing our children and having trust that goes both ways is important. We’ve told our kids that if they ever hear a kid talking about killing or shooting people to talk to us. Let us, an adult, decide on what to do with that information. Don’t put that responsibility on kids. If they feel they can report bad behavior or speech (or texting or Instagram) to authorities then fine. But we’ve told our kids to tell us. Then the responsibility of possibly causing a problem for one of their peers will be on us as adults. And then, as adults, don’t be stupid with this information. Don’t blow it off or exaggerate the info. And make sure it gets to the right people. Whenever a school shooting plot gets foiled because it was brought to the attention of the school or law enforcement, no shooter has ever come back to commit a school shooting. That is a 100 percent intervention rate.
I’ve seen the acronym LEAST (Lockdown, Evacuation and Survival Tactics). The two most used tactics that have demonstrated the best results are lockdown and evacuation. People need to remember that when a shooter has started a shooting spree, only those near the shooter are at immediate risk. That means that in most cases, more than 90 percent of staff and students, depending on the school’s size, are not at immediate risk and lockdown is a great option. Again, this is depending on the location of the shooter and how many staff and students are present when the shooting begins. Additional options include hiding, crawling, the power of your voice, and, last but not least, fighting.
Make sure your child knows their schools policies and protocols. Share with them the school plan and the precautions that are in place. If they receive training you as a parent should receive the same training so that you can emphasize and support that training. You can make sure they have additional training (make sure additional training is not in opposition to their school training). If they don’t have drills at school walk through a drill with your child. Do it often so that an understanding of what they should do or where they should go is clear to your child. If they have drills then go over it with your child.
As a parent get involved with your school. If they don’t have training or drills encourage that to happen.
Make sure your kids understand the difference between cover and concealment. Make sure that they know how to run in zig-zag form. They should know that they should be running to cover. Leap frogging from cover to cover to get out of the building.
If you decide that hiding is the best choice, hide behind something that will stop bullets. Nothing thin or plastic. Thick is not a 2 inch thick wooden table. Maybe two or three of those tables. Even vehicles don’t stop bullets except an engine block. If there is no cover, concealment is the next preferable hiding standard. Make sure your location is barricaded or locked. When hiding or ducking never lay flat on the floor. Ricocheting rounds follow the path of the floor. Stay away from confined spaces like a closet or bathroom. You need space to move. Stay out of doorways and halls. If you’re interested in “why” look up “Fatal funnel.”
Fighting is a last resort but have a plan for a fight. Throw things and attack in force. It needs to be overwhelming force like 4 or 6 to 1. But you need a loose plan. The killer probably hasn’t done this before and has not practiced. Students can practice fighting back. But be smart about it and make sure kids have training and have drilled a little with this. Remember improvised weapons, books, mop handles, chairs, desks, book bags with books in them, garbage cans, fire extinguishers, things that will do some damage.
Control your emotions and keep calm. There will be some fear and anxiety but learn to ignore that panic emotion and think clearly. Being engaged in doing something will keep your mind occupied and off of the fear. Mark Twain said: “Courage is the resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.”
There are also ballistic backpacks on the market that might work as a shield. But know that they are not cheap, and they only stop handgun rounds, not rifle rounds. So be aware before you invest in this and make sure your kids don’t use this above good cover. There are limitations and everyone needs to be aware of them.
It’s a scary world out there and avoiding it is only putting off the inevitable. The chances of you or your child being involved in a violent incident are slim, but there is a chance. That’s a chance we need to be prepared for.
The powers that be must do more but to rely just on government is foolish. As responsible parents we must take our security more serious than it seems politicians, educators and law enforcement are being. Until they actually act, the citizens of this country must take their safety and security into their own hands.
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
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