Connecticut school district on lockdown after shooting report at a Newtown elemen #10

[flipflop]

To anyone who has kids that go to a school that do not practice lockdown type drills:

I am curious what your school does, in the case of someone like AL entering your school with a gun, to provide safety for your childs life?

All I know about is lockdown drills, as this is what we do. I am curious to hear alternatives.

 

[fabvab]

My message to kids has always been if you see or hear gunfire, run away as fast as you can and keep running. Hide only if you can't run.

Schools can't have a running away drill because getting all the kids to come back is almost impossible. So lockdowns have become the one size fits all solution.

Schools follow the advice of experts and law enforcement when planning school safety drills. Students should be told to listen to the teachers/adults in emergencies. If a child runs then a teacher has to go get them...leaving other children unattended and putting teacher and others at risk.

I can see telling a child to run away in a mall, etc. But otherwise they need to listen to teachers.

 

[eileenhawkeye]

We only started having lockdown drills in my senior year of HS which 2009-2010. Columbine (1999) and Virginia Tech (2007) and all the school shootings in-between did not cause my district to implement lockdown drills. I believe there were two lockdown drills during my senior year of HS. Never had one before that.

 

[Tennlyn]

Mourning Noah Pozner, the Jewish boy whose life was taken too soon

Here is one of the most heartbreaking stories I think I've read so far. Warning - It does contain graphic information about the condition of Noah's body.

Thank you so much for posting this article. It's one of the best pieces I've seen about how the tragedy affected one family.

From the article:

"Like some Sandy Hook parents who have spoken to the media, Veronique [Noah's mom] has shied away from portraying Lanza as evil or diabolical. “If we describe him as a demonic force or as a beast with the sign of the beast on his forehead, that is a mistake,” she says. “Because then we are making him apart from humanity when in fact he is part of what is possible in humanity. How do we help these people so this doesn’t happen again, so they never sink so low, so they never have to go to a place so dark where they can take out small children in a fit of rage? "​

BBM - This is something I've been thinking about and continue to think on.

 

[Isabelle]

Doomsday Preppers is on NatGeo now.

 

[LolaMoon08]

Thank you so much for posting this article. It's one of the best pieces I've seen about how the tragedy affected one family.

From the article:

"Like some Sandy Hook parents who have spoken to the media, Veronique [Noah's mom] has shied away from portraying Lanza as evil or diabolical. “If we describe him as a demonic force or as a beast with the sign of the beast on his forehead, that is a mistake,” she says. “Because then we are making him apart from humanity when in fact he is part of what is possible in humanity. How do we help these people so this doesn’t happen again, so they never sink so low, so they never have to go to a place so dark where they can take out small children in a fit of rage? "​

BBM - This is something I've been thinking about and continue to think on.

The bolded part of the article hit me too. I've been easy to call him a monster, evil, etc... Amazing how the words of a mother, who lost her child, can make you think in different directions and much more clearly than what you have allowed yourself to think. I don't know how they do it, but I can not help but think highly of these wonderful human beings, who faced with the worst thing any human being can be faced with, can truly bring things into perspective.

 

[jennapuppy]

This approach is exactly what I am talking about. The positive approach to people.

However, the lockdown school shooter idea has now been blown out of the water with AL.

All schools should practice a school lock down because of the AL potential.

With all due respect, that article dealt with lock downs that happen as a result of violent students within the school and is not the same type of lock down we have been talking about. For example, my elementary school went into a low-level lock down mode after a bank robbery that happened nearby. The school was asked to keep the students inside their locked classrooms while the suspects were at large. We didn't try to hide or anything that drastic, we just were alerted to the potential hazard. The children weren't even aware that we were "locked down", because it was so low key.

ETA: I'm not necessarily directing this at you, just jumping off your post.

 

[human]

The bolded part of the article hit me too. I've been easy to call him a monster, evil, etc... Amazing how the words of a mother, who lost her child, can make you think in different directions and much more clearly than what you have allowed yourself to think. I don't know how they do it, but I can not help but think highly of these wonderful human beings, who faced with the worst thing any human being can be faced with, can truly bring things into perspective.

The problem is that there are HIPPA laws and privacy laws in schools.

It sounds like AL's school was doing a lot to help him with the technology group and staff assigned to look out after him.

What happens when a parent takes the child out of school because she does not like the school plans, whatever they were.

Herein is the problem. What can be done if the parent is not willing to cooperate?

Now we all know that this may not be true in the AL case because there is not enough information out there, but it is true in lots of other situations.

There is a post further back about a parent who is incensed because her daughter was suspended while the school investigates her writings where she says that she understands AL's need to destroy.

To me , that is a red flag. But obviously to others who claim it is a violation of her freedom of speech, it is a different situation.

 

[matou]

Sandy Hook students, teachers head back to school

Classes are starting Thursday at a repurposed school in the neighboring town of Monroe, where the students' desks have been taken along with backpacks and other belongings that were left behind in the chaos following the shooting on Dec. 14. Families have been coming in to see the new school, and an open house is scheduled for Wednesday.

http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/fairfi...nts-teachers-head-back-to-school#.UOM3V-S7M_g

 

[flipflop]

Sandy Hook students, teachers head back to school

http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/fairfi...nts-teachers-head-back-to-school#.UOM3V-S7M_g

Thursday will be a difficult day filled with many mixed emotions for all involved.....teachers, students and parents.

I hope their first day goes well.

 

[LolaMoon08]

We have 3 different levels of lockdowns as well.

We do not practice these drills because our school is rampant with violence, as someone stated above. Our school is not violent. We practice these drills to protect our kids. Our is a small school where everyone knows everyone. But as we know, evil can lurk anywhere. I don't think we will ever have a real full lockdown, but you never know. Im sure the staff at Sandy Hook thought the same, but are thankful the times that they did practice their lockdowns.

Right. Our schools are not rampant with violence either. Never have they had to lockdown a school for anything internal. It has always been because a crime has been commited in the area and a suspect is on the loose. This is usually a robbery, homicide, etc... The last thing you want is for a violent suspect to run into a school out of desperation. Desperate criminals make for even more violent criminals.

The only case in our history where violence was even suggested was the "Lords of Chaos" case in 1996. There's a book you can check out titled; "Someone Has to Die Tonight." And there is a Dateline special titled; "When a Killer Calls", if you are interested. One teacher was killed, but it was not at the school itself. I was a Junior at a different High School when this happened.

 

[LolaMoon08]

Sandy Hook students, teachers head back to school

http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/fairfi...nts-teachers-head-back-to-school#.UOM3V-S7M_g

Praying for all of them. I also don't know if it should have been so publicly announced. Hope everything goes smoothly and demented people leave them alone.

 

[Xavier]

I'm just not so sure that there are tons of retired LE officers who would volunteer to spend their retirement days guarding schools. Can the school districts pay enough to make it worth their while?

It would probably be healthier for some of them to take up golfing than spend their days idling in the school waiting for a school shooter that hopefully never comes.

DONJETA--Ya gotta think outside of the box

The security officers would have more to do than wait for a shooter..LOL

- Check in deliveries, visitors with a sign in and direct to them to wait for the school faculty to come meet them. Also the SO would direct them to a waiting area

-- The SO would have an alert radio piped in to local LE, gun/ammo, taser, modern tele comm devices

-- The SO would do walk throughs the entire inside of school, outside perimeter of school. For example the SO may spot a gas leak in the rear of the school or angry dogs lurking around, etc

-- The SO would help conduct the lockdowns, emergency evacuation and other drills

-- The SO would be the extra eyes/ears for the school admins who may want to know which kids are troubled, getting into trouble, bullying, kids who might be walking around with a cold, coughing, nose bleeds, etc and notify admins for them to be aware of

these are just a few ideas I've heard from real retired LE officers working at some area schools

 

[Donjeta]

Granted, it's been a while since I went to school but they didn't really need an armed police officer back then to tell if someone's nose was bleeding.

 

[human]

DONJETA--Ya gotta think outside of the box

The security officers would have more to do than wait for a shooter..LOL

- Check in deliveries, visitors with a sign in and direct to them to wait for the school faculty to come meet them. Also the SO would direct them to a waiting area

-- The SO would have an alert radio piped in to local LE, gun/ammo, taser, modern tele comm devices

-- The SO would do walk throughs the entire inside of school, outside perimeter of school. For example the SO may spot a gas leak in the rear of the school or angry dogs lurking around, etc

-- The SO would help conduct the lockdowns, emergency evacuation and other drills

-- The SO would be the extra eyes/ears for the school admins who may want to know which kids are troubled, getting into trouble, bullying, kids who might be walking around with a cold, coughing, nose bleeds, etc and notify admins for them to be aware of

these are just a few ideas I've heard from real retired LE officers working at some area schools

Sounds like they are too busy doing other things. What good would it do it the officer is at the opposite end of a building counseling a student or checking a gas leak?

 

[i.b.nora]

Angry dogs lurking around reminds me of women in binders.

 

[kashmir]

I just wanted to add a different perspective on the door locking issue. I have worked in 2 private Christian schools and a Head Start center, and we were given extensive sexual abuse and liability training. In all 3 schools having your door locked was a major "no-no" as was covering windows in any way, and this was emphasized in teacher safety curriculum designed for churches and schools. In those 3 schools I had a my own room key once, and otherwise, the custodian/director locked doors from the outside at the end of the day.

I suppose it depends on what the school system is experiencing at the time.

 

[fabvab]

Granted, it's been a while since I went to school but they didn't really need an armed police officer back then to tell if someone's nose was bleeding.

No, but an extra adult is always nice...even if their presence is just comforting as they sit by a child with a bloody nose or bump on head as they wait for a parent to pick them up, etc.

 

[flipflop]

I just wanted to add a different perspective on the door locking issue. I have worked in 2 private Christian schools and a Head Start center, and we were given extensive sexual abuse and liability training. In all 3 schools having your door locked was a major "no-no" as was covering windows in any way, and this was emphasized in teacher safety curriculum designed for churches and schools. In those 3 schools I had a my own room key once, and otherwise, the custodian/director locked doors from the outside at the end of the day.

I suppose it depends on what the school system is experiencing at the time.

I agree, the door locking and abuse could lead to other issues. In my classroom there is more than one adult in the room at all times. I would never do this on a daily basis if I was the only adult in the room, for my protection and the students in regards to abuse.

 

[fabvab]

I agree, the door locking and abuse could lead to other issues. In my classroom there is more than one adult in the room at all times. I would never do this on a daily basis if I was the only adult in the room, for my protection and the students in regards to abuse.

Yes, it's my understanding that is why there is a window in the door or a window by the door in classrooms. The idea behind it was to ensure safety of children so that someone else could see in and know what was going on inside the classroom.