Giving Compass' Take:

• The authors discuss how there are many drastic reactions to school shootings/safety that result in scaring more kids rather than making them feel safer. The authors the introduce the concept of rings of security at schools and how they need to be protected. 

• Why is this approach possibly less scary for students? 

• Read about the groundbreaking school study that is underway that will help to fill the information gap about school safety. 

Whether by design to spin up parents about guns and electoral politics or because of a lack of expertise in security, districts are responding to concerns about school shootings with measures that, however well-meaning, are doing more to scare kids than genuinely protect them.

It’s important to remember that, while horrific and terrifying for parents, school shootings statistically are quite rare and mass school shootings have declined since the 1990s.

When securing a fixed facility such as a school, it’s useful to think in terms of concentric rings. The outermost ring is not a physical barrier but consists of the many resources outside and connected to the school that can be used to prevent or mitigate an emergency.

Monitoring students’ social media use can be controversial, but technology exists to scan for patterns and keywords that can alert school leadership to potential threats. This must be done in such a way as to minimize the invasiveness of the program and protect students’ rights. In the same vein, purely educational steps like better counseling and smaller schools can help.

The next ring is the physical security of the building itself. An effective entry control plan will ensure that the right people can enter and exit, while unauthorized people are kept out until they can be checked in by staff.

The last ring consists of the barriers and procedures used to protect the students and staff as well as isolate a shooter as much as possible. Both should be put in place within the tactical framework of Run/Hide/Fight.

None of these strategies is sufficient in isolation. They are merely parts of an overall security approach, one that preferably considers all hazards, and one that all organizations should have in place.

Read the full article about being prepared for a school shooting by Taylor Swaak at The 74