Innocence

I cried a lot yesterday. Today, I kept it together until I read about a little boy who said he knew karate so he'd lead the way out of the hiding place where a teacher and students were hunkered down during the shooting.

That made me laugh, then cry. It made me laugh because I know a few little boys who would totally say something like that. It made me cry for the same reason. Also, it perfectly illustrates the innocence that has been lost in Newtown: a little boy thinking his karate moves would protect him and his friends from a bad man with a gun.

None of us want a kid like that to ever learn he'd be wrong.

Suggestions

Nothing can be done to eliminate all risks of school violence, but I have some suggestions to help lower those risks.

1. School entries should be unlocked during the 15-20 minutes before and after school, with staff stationed at doors to watch those who enter and exit. For the rest of the school day, people need to be "buzzed in" to enter. Security cameras and intercom systems will need to be installed to facilitate this.

2. All interior doors should be able to be locked from the inside with a key and master switch. (For fire safety, etc, they should be able to be opened from the inside.) There should be a window in the door with bullet-proof glass, allowing those inside to see out and those outside (i.e., rescue workers) to see in.

3. Master switch(es?) in the office that can close and lock all interior doors. PA announcement automatically goes out to alert everyone the doors have been locked and to please shelter in place until further notice. Police automatically notified when doors are locked.

4. Drills every quarter for all safety procedures.

Yes, these will cost money. Yes, school districts are strapped for cash. Yes, it is worth the expense. Some schools already do some of these things. I'm saying all schools should do all of them. They are not controversial and they can be done quickly.

I am open to other suggestions. I realize this will not prevent all violence. Nothing can prevent all violence. A nutter with a rifle could pick kids off in a school playground at recess. I reject the idea that we should turn schools into prisons where no one can get in or out, but I believe the above suggestions are viable without being over-the-top.