There have been many suggestions on how to keep our schools safe. So I thought I would give an overview of my plan. It is simple and I believe most schools could implement it easily. It is a seven step system.
- Limit the number of entrances during the morning arrival of students.
- Provide an armed Resource Office at each entrance.
- Visitors can only enter through one entrance.
- Visitors are escorted to their location.
- Students are taught situational awareness.
- Arm SPECIFIC staff members.
- Create an evacuation alarm specifically for active shooter situations.
Limiting the number of entrances as students are arriving allows better control and monitoring as to who is entering the school. For example, if an individual is wearing a long trench coat or looks somewhat suspicious, they can be questioned or detained. Placing an armed Resource Officer at the entry points provides them with more visibility as well as developing relationships with the students.
Visitors should be limited to one entrance and should be identified through a visual intercom system. This allows staff to talk to the visitor and identify them before being allowed to enter the school.
Once inside the school, visitors should be escorted to their desired location. This provides additional security and prevents people from wondering around the school. This also assures the individual has a purpose for being there.
Situational awareness is something everyone should learn. There is no better place to start than our schools. Situational awareness teaches the student to be aware of their surroundings. It helps them to detect something is out of the ordinary. It is not meant to make them paranoid but to simply make them aware.
Armed guards, police officers and body guards are taught to carry guns safe and effectively. Citizens are taught how to conceal and carry a gun safely. The same can be done with key staff members in schools. There is such a negative stigma about guns some feel this is a terrible idea. But the fact is a gun is a tool and is used for good more than it is used for bad. Arming key staff member can make our children safer.
The fire alarm system is not an effective tool for the evacuation of students during a shooting event. We train students to evacuate in a specific way during a fire. An active shooter evacuation is different. Students should be able to distinguish between a fire alarm and a shooter situation when leaving the school. This allows them to respond to the specific threat.
But remember that no amount of planning can eliminate the threat of an active shooter. The steps outlined above can reduce the threat but not eliminate it. An evil person wanting to kill will find a way to accomplish their goal. That’s why we must stay diligent in countering their evil ways.
The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
Proverbs 21:5
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