Brian Reale picks up his daughter Catherine at Huckleberry Hill Elementary School in Brookfield, Conn., last week. Mr. Reale waited in a double-entryway, which is part of a security measure put in place by the Brookfield public schools. The district is just 11 miles from Newtown, where 26 people were shot and killed last December. —Christopher Capozziello for Education Week Schools across the United States have invested millions of dollars in heightened security measures for this school year, prompted in part by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings that took the lives of 20 children and six adults last December.
A flurry of back-to-school media reports indicate that districts are making significant security system purchases—from adding high-tech "visitor management" systems that use Web-based screening to check identification cards for registered sex offenders and custody issues, to the latest video surveillance and communication systems. They are fortifying entrances with bullet-resistant film on glass, and adding panic buttons, door locks, and keyless entry systems. Plus, they are budgeting money to hire personnel—from specially trained school police officers to security guards—to try to keep staff members and students safe.
And recently, new entrants into the "school safety" market are selling bulletproof whiteboards, ranging in size from 18-inch-by-20-inch handheld versions to panels large enough that they could be...
Already have an account? Please login.
No comments:
Post a Comment