Securing our Schools: What’s the Plan?

In the wake of the recent tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in the United States, everyone has an opinion as to how to prevent horrors like this from happening again.

The debate is polarized: on one side, school security solutions include arming teachers, hiring armed security personnel, and building fortress-like school structures. Others feel just as strongly that guns have no place in schools.

We all agree that we must do everything possible to protect our children, and that we must take steps that are appropriate for a school environment. But what are those steps?

Let us make a comparison here. Walk into most banks in the world, and what do you see? Armed guards, cameras, ballistic glass, and lots of concrete and steel. We accept, and even expect, all of this because banks exist to safeguard our valuable possessions. There is nothing as valuable as our children—but should our schools look like banks?

While our children are priceless, is it appropriate for them to be housed and educated in impenetrable, bank-like structures? Are these the steps we want to take? Will these steps help our children learn to trust and feel a connectedness to school? Will they help students learn to commit to responsibility, helpfulness and respect over violence, drug use, and delinquency? Will they help students achieve?

Unlike items secured in banks, young children are impressionable and could be negatively impacted in various ways if schools turn into armed fortresses. Even banks built like fortresses, and guarded by armed personnel, are robbed every day. So why would anyone think that school tragedies of the magnitude of Sandy Hook would be prevented by resorting to this type of security? The sad truth is that if a crazed person wants to murder the innocent, he or she will find a way to do it—just like bank robbers do.

Let us therefore resist the urge to immediately put something in place that may only do harm at some later point. Armed guards and teachers may not be much of a debate inside the education profession, where anti-gun sentiment can run high; and besides, armed guards arguably only provide a false sense of security (Columbine had armed guards).

What is more, even if school personnel were highly trained and proficient in the use of firearms, they could still fall victim to anyone intent on committing a hostile act; just look at the number of law enforcement officers and military personnel killed every year.

In most cases, a secure school environment is not achieved by higher walls, thicker glass, or armed guards. Security is but one part of a larger, integrated process known as the Crisis Planning and Management Cycle. This cycle consists of prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery, and communication.

Security and safety are pieces of the prevention and mitigation phase, which includes teaching students about safety and wellness. While extreme acts of violence may not be preventable, there is much that can be done to mitigate them. For example, consider the “Four Ds”: Deny, Deter, Delay, or Detect. School access controls, layered perimeter security, a school-wide two-way communication system, internal locks on classroom/office doors, anti-bullying policies, caring school communities, visible ID cards, and comprehensive and tested crisis response plans are all part of the Four Ds.

As the debate moves forward and parents and school boards continue to pressure their leaders to do more, let us keep in mind that schools are unique places: places in which students need to feel relaxed and cared for in order to take important risks in their learning. With that in mind, each school must take a holistic view of the entire crisis planning and management model when addressing school security and safety.

Take the time to consider your realistic potential threats and hazards, your level of local emergency support services, and just as importantly, your cultural environment when deciding on the appropriate course of action to secure your school. Yes, arm yourself—in this case, with a well thought out and practiced Crisis Planning and Management Plan.

Mr. Johnson is President of Clearpath Global, an international risk firm that provides international school crisis planning and management support through its Clearpath Emergency Planning Management Division (http://www.clearpathepm.com). He is also a Facilitator for crisis management training at the Principals Training Center (PTC) and the Academy for International School Heads (AISH).

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