Police are increasing their presence at schools. Schools are reviewing security measures, planning “lockdown” drills, and sending reassuring letters to parents. says the Christian Science Monitor. One Pennsylvania district got a court order over the weekend to arm school officers; the superintendent expects one in each of its 14 schools from now on. Still, educators face a grim reality: Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Ct., did pretty much everything right. The school had a new buzzer and camera system. It had lockdown procedures and safety drills, and a good relationship with local first responders. Yet a gunman was able to shoot his way in and kill 26 people, 20 of them children, before turning his gun on himself.
“This is simply a reminder of how vulnerable schools continue to be,” says Ronald Stephens of the National School Safety Center in Westlake Village, Ca. “Despite some of our best efforts at making schools safe, when you're dealing with a committed assailant it's extremely difficult to stop [the attack].” Kenneth Trump of National School Safety and Security Services in Cleveland said, “Instead of asking, 'Did nothing work?,' another way of looking at it is, 'Did some things work that could have prevented an even greater loss of life?' ”