This might have been a bit of an overreaction, but I'm giving it a pass because most schools are so woefully unprepared and lackadaisical about their security.  At least we know they're prepared to do this much.  But I can tell you this usually isn't the problem. 

From my own experience with a school shooting, and from reading about others, below the jump I've written what I believe are the real problems that need addressed to significantly address the problem.  I don't want to come off as a know-it-all, or a wannabe know-it-all.  I just know that even though it was a small incident where no one died, I had friends and family where it went down.  I know what it could have been, and I would have been in no position to stop it, or try to.

I strongly believe that doing the following can sharply reduce the threat that school shootings pose to students.  I hope that people I talk to take these into consideration, and work to make their student's schools secure from these tragedies.

So, below the jump....

1.  Prevention.  This is the biggest problem, where most of these disasters can be stopped, even before a person reaches the point where they begin to consider doing it, and yet, this is one that are most most woefully unprepared for.

It needs to be done by maintaining discipline first and controlling harassment and bullying.  While you might think that this is coddling or touchy-feely leftist sentiment, I disagree, you would never be allowed to engage in that level of abuse in the workplace, and students need to be given boundaries and standards of civility so they can learn that.  A common profile of many shooters is that they are reacting in an extreme manner to harassment or bullying. 

Beyond that, let's be honest, kids are often stupid and cruel, particularly when it comes to bullying unstable people.  It seems that it doesn't matter how many tragedies we see, students don't seem to learn the lesson that harassing kids who seem a little unstable is like playing with matches while sitting on a powder keg.  Which means parents need to discipline their children, and educators need to do the same, if for no other reason then to keep them from getting themselves killed. 

Teachers, parents and staff need to learn signs to look for, and be proactive in intervening and helping students find counciling before they go off. 

Lastly, students that are high risk need to be watched, and if they make ANY mention of planning a shooting or wanting to kill someone or themselves, that needs to be brought to the school, and the polices attention immediately.  Nearly every person who does a school shooting states their intent or creates a manifesto that others can and usually have accessed, heard or seen before they do it.  All students must be well trained to do this, to the point that its almost involuntary.

2.  Refining the Evacuation/Lockdown.  Needs to be done.  Drills are not held nearly enough, most students hardly know what to do with themselves in a static fire drill, let alone any other emergency.  Teachers and staff are marginally better, but not by much. Many schools have no policy, or one that is so ignored, it will never be utilised effectively, sort of like Ray Nagin and his lot full of school buses, the plan was there...never got enacted.

Some personal observations on lockdown policy.

Students and teachers should be taught to lock and barricade doors with anything they can if their rooms are secured, and when all the students are in the room. 

Students should be taught to stay on their feet, if for no reason than to stay mobile, and ideally to run away or resist.  Most students by default hide under tables and desks.  The problem is, this is the worst thing that a student can do. 

They can't run, and they can't resist, and are entirely at the mercy of the shooter.  This is exactly what the students did at the shooting at my school, thankfully, the shooter never exploited it.  The students at Columbine and Virginia Tech weren't so lucky.  The library at Columbine was where most of the students were killed or injured.  In the VTech rampage, most of those killed were killed under their desks as Cho Seung-Hui shot student after student. 

The media and those who wish to destroy 2nd Amendment rights like to pretend that its the weapons used that make such horrible rampages possible.  False, and don't ever get suckered into believing the lie. 

The truth is, most shootings are committed with standard weapons, or flashy Hollywood type weapons that are more style than substance (most notably the hunk of junk Tec-9).  Any weapons that are illegal to own, are usually because the shooters illegally purchased or modified their weapons, the most notable being the Columbine shooters, who sawed off their shotgun, and bought their Tec-9s illegally.

The truth is, what makes it possible for so many to be killed is lack of preparation for these disasters, and that school shooters are almost always entirely unopposed. 

3.  Police and Emergency intervention.  The biggest problem with police intervention is time.  In both Columbine and VTech, police did not storm the buildings until the shooting stopped.  I will say, the police were prompt and did an excellent job in their response to our shooting, however, I'm not sure how it would have been different had it been a more serious incident.  I also happen to support armed police in larger schools, and I would allow teachers to arm themselves as well, but would require them to undergo similar profiling, training and testing that a police officer would receive in defense.

4.  Media.  Its too overbearing, the feeding frenzy encourages copycats.  Quit using its power to advocate policy.  Nuff said.

Posted by: doubleplusundead at 02:09 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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