Newtown Final Report Details Most Needed Changes At Schools
The first recommendation listed in the report is a simple one: Make sure classrooms can be locked from the inside.
“Testimony and other evidence presented to the commission reveals that there has never been an event in which an active shooter breached a locked classroom door,” it said. “The commission cannot emphasize enough the importance of this recommendation.”
The report also stated its belief that all types of threats — not just “active shooter” assaults — should be considered in the implementation of improved school safeguards.
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I have long been bothered to see how school buses long lacked seat belts and included un padded steel frames around all the seats. Some of the reported suggestions strike me in the same light. What took so long to figure these out?
The report goes on listing how important maintaining situational awareness is and how vital custodial staff are given their knowledge on the school layout. What should not be the least surprising is how ordinary the suggestions are. Doors that lock. Understand the situation. Trust in those that work there. With obvious changes, that’s all stuff we long know about staying safe at home. Fire, medical emergencies, earthquakes and threatening or dangerous people all call for different responses. Empower (I do not refer to lethal weapons) the staff, or at home the responsible residents as best as you can in a practical sense.
What’s more valuable than our children? Nothing on this earth. Society can better afford the costs of ordinary practical measures for safety than the consequences of vulnerable class rooms and teachers.
For The Record
The full report.
