As students head back to school, things may look a little different in some locations. In the years following major school safety incidents, including Sandy Hook (2012) and Uvalde (2022), to strengthen school safety protocols to keep students and staff a little safer. In light of those efforts, students may be greeted by new security devices, safety measures, and even armed guards at some schools.
Debates Over Best Security Options
The Courant reports that as schools weighed their options in new security procedures, a debate over the best way to protect students and faculty ensued. Armed police guards are often the center of that debate, with some school officials in favor of the action and others opposed. Other issues that have been argued in recent years include proposals to arm school personnel and expand school resource officer programs.
This video from ABC News reports on the mounting cries nationwide for better security in our schools.
Carl Sferrazza, police chief for Enfield, Connecticut, is one who agrees that armed guards are the best way to keep students safe. Sferrazza told the Courant, 鈥淭hese people are homicidal and suicidal individuals. Their intent and their planning are all geared toward killing as many people as they possibly can.鈥
However, others liken placing armed guards at the entrances of schools to creating a prison-like atmosphere for students. Nate Quesnel, the superintendent for East Hartford, told the Courant, 鈥淲e don鈥檛 necessarily believe that having an armed guard in front of a school is the most productive way to make a school safer, for a variety of reasons. I don鈥檛 want to live in an America where we have to have an armed guard in a school that my children go to.鈥
The Funding Quandary
Another ongoing challenge for schools implementing new security measures is funding, with states taking varied approaches to legislation and investment.
A few states passed laws giving schools more funding for school resource officers. Other states passed bills to provide schools with additional safety measures, including building renovations and active shooter drills. A handful even passed legislation to authorize some school employees to carry firearms.
There has also been some . COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) was a Justice Department program that helped local law enforcement agencies hire school resource officers. The federal continues to provide funding for school safety infrastructure and personnel, to provide schools with officers once again. Federal and state grant programs continue to support school resource officers and safety upgrades nationwide.
New Security Measures Introduced
Despite funding shortages, many school districts have found the money to pay for new security measures to ease the minds of students, teachers, and parents. The Courant reports that one Connecticut school district, Bloomfield, spent $110,000 to add new cameras and buzzer systems at school entrances. Planters and other large objects have also been added to block access to glass-enclosed entrances. West Hartford spent $250,000 to install keycard entry systems and panic buttons at district schools. The panic buttons will allow school staff to notify local police of a potential problem. They will also send alerts to schools regarding weather emergencies like tornadoes. In addition, the district is adding 鈥渞oving鈥 security guards that will move between 11 elementary schools and two middle schools in the district.
This TEDx Talk reimagines security in our public schools.
The Addition of Firearms
Some schools across the country are taking security measures a step further by adding armed guards to the public school presence. The reports that Spokane Public Schools has explored or implemented armed security personnel in recent years. The employees, who are already commissioned peace officers in the schools, may begin carrying weapons in subsequent school years as an added security precaution.
While high-profile incidents have influenced policy decisions, the report states there were other reasons for the change as well. Jason Conley, director of safety, security, and transportation for the district, told the Spokesman-Review, 鈥淚t鈥檚 those outside threats that are driving us to this next level of safety. In a criminal鈥檚 mind, a school resource officer would be the first target to eliminate to get into the school.鈥
District officers will receive training at the Spokane Police Academy. While these officers have received training from the police department before, this is the first time that training will include firearms.
Some districts have expanded armed school resource officer coverage at the elementary level. Coverage from outlets such as reports that Pembroke Pines students will be greeted by new armed school resource officers who will be stationed at every elementary school in the community. Each school will have its own full-time officer, despite the fact that crime in the suburb has been on a steady decline in recent years. Some teachers and parents have expressed relief at having the guards on staff when the new school year begins.
Although some states have passed laws allowing school employees to carry guns as well, the practice does not appear to be as widespread. One reason might be insurance issues for some districts. For example, many schools in Kansas are not changing policy, despite a new state law allowing teachers and staff with permits to bring guns to school. The insurance company that covers the schools in the state, EMC Insurance, has said it won鈥檛 renew coverage for schools that allow teachers to bring guns to school.
Questions? Contact us on Facebook@publicschoolreview
