Lessons from the Columbine School Shooting
Lots of high-tech gear, but that’s not what makes schools safe:
Some of the noticeable security measures remain, but experts say the country is exploring a new way to protect kids from in-school violence: administrators now want to foster school communities that essentially can protect themselves with or without the high-tech gear.
“The first and best line of defense is always a well-trained, highly alert staff and student body,” said Kenneth Trump, president of National School Safety and Security Services, an Ohio-based firm specializing in school security.
“The No. 1 way we find out about weapons in schools is not from a piece of equipment [such as a metal detector] but from a kid who comes forward and reports it to an adult that he or she trusts.”
Of course, there never was an epidemic of school shootings — it just seemed that way in the media. And kids are much safer in schools than outside of them.
Mark, London • April 29, 2009 6:38 AM
While not on shootings, it’s interesting that you post this on the same day as this story was on the morning news here in the UK.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8024171.stm