Connecticut school district on lockdown after shooting report at a Newtown elemen #6

[4MYGUYS]

I'm thinking as was discussed eairler, this is why we need the auto lock doors with multiple "buttons" so close/lock all doors to the whole school at once with an alarm that alerts police.

ITA, but with the current mentality, I am concened for all the child care centers that certainly need to upgrade security.

 

[jennapuppy]

I realize that might be fire code. But that still gives teachers no ability to lock the door if needed-if the teacher can not lock the door from the inside.

You would have to open the door briefly to lock the door (lock is in the door knob) and pull it closed. No one could then open it from the outside, but you can open it from the inside.

It might be hard to visualize, but that's how it works. That's how we had to do it at my school.

 

[Straitfan]

Dont believe "locking" children up in school is an answer, spending more Govt money, creating more "monsters"..Society as a whole has sunk to unbelievable levels..Look at the people around you, not killers, the one's who think they should "have their way" because just because "they are so important...These same ppl are raising another generation ...This world has way more issues than this "one killer" posesses... Until people have morals, etc and many other things in their lives, I for one dont believe any thing is going to change what happens..Putting HUGH band aids on things, ie locking doors, hiring more police, etc will never solve any of it...!! and that is jmo

 

[3doglady]

Yes, but perhaps the teacher in the next room would have been prepared with pepper spray.

In this case, AL shot out the glass and then shot the principle and teacher who confronted him. That would have given the teachers a chance to grab wasp spray or some other weapon. I would rather go down fighting him with wasp spray than have nothing for protection.

When my kids attended school in CA, there was a policeman stationed at the middle and high schools. I don't believe teachers should carry guns, but a trained professional in civilian clothes would be a good idea. He may not be able to save everyone, but just the fact that there is an armed person guarding the school could be a deterrent.

 

[Celeste]

Retrain a veteran as a guard in the parking lot and have a gate.
Preferably have that person know community over time.
Definitely know who is coming- expected

1. passcodes - cameras
2. stickers yearly per family car
3. Have the office with all important people NOT mmediately at the door
4. no Glass that anyone can Blow up or through and or drive through ( the killer did that in Newtown)
5. Every single person know and practice lock down code WORD ( not words- a word not a phrase, maybe a button that plays a song - The lock down song- I dunno one you never play unless its a real lock down-
6. even substitute office workers know the procedures.
7. safety rooms that can fit a class AND a teacher!
8. A lockdown feature for the door so you don't have to go out in the hall to lock the door while you are covering up the windows closing all the shades and getting students into a place without a view of a door window.
9. Last but not least allow me to write a list of students I have observed through the years whom ( would be documented as SpEd) and whom i hope and pray do not ever have access to guns/weapons.
   
   Thanks for reading.

1. 
   
   Hi, long-time lurker here. I just wanted to say that I LOVE the idea of training veterans as school security, and I would add that the veteran security officer should be the only armed employee on the campus. Veterans often have a shamefully hard time finding employment in the civilian world, they are already very well trained to use guns, and they tend to be awesome in crisis situations.
   Not to mention the fact that they are intimidating as all get out! Last year, my 61-year old father interrupted a robbery and detained a group of THREE seasoned criminals for nearly an hour...unarmed! That's how scary these guys can be. lol

 

[Pensfan]

Retrain a veteran as a guard in the parking lot and have a gate.
Preferably have that person know community over time.
Definitely know who is coming- expected

1. passcodes - cameras
2. stickers yearly per family car
3. Have the office with all important people NOT mmediately at the door
4. no Glass that anyone can Blow up or through and or drive through ( the killer did that in Newtown)
5. Every single person know and practice lock down code WORD ( not words- a word not a phrase, maybe a button that plays a song - The lock down song- I dunno one you never play unless its a real lock down-
6. even substitute office workers know the procedures.
7. safety rooms that can fit a class AND a teacher!
8. A lockdown feature for the door so you don't have to go out in the hall to lock the door while you are covering up the windows closing all the shades and getting students into a place without a view of a door window.
9. Last but not least allow me to write a list of students I have observed through the years whom ( would be documented as SpEd) and whom i hope and pray do not ever have access to guns/weapons.
   
   Thanks for reading.

1. 
   Here is how many locked psych units have changed their security and it would be good for schools too:
   
   Visitor must pick up a house phone located outside the psych unit door and call the nurses' desk. Nurse or psych tech answer and checks out the person and/or their ID by a security camera. Visitor is NOT buzzed in. A nurse/tech opens the locked door with his/her key making direct contact with the visitor (if they appear drunk or unstable they can be stopped at this point from entering).
   
   After the visitor signs in at the nurses' desk, he/she must leave ALL purses, phones, backpacks, bulky objects in pockets and etc... The nurse/tech then unlocks ANOTHER locked door with his/her personal key. This second door leads inside the actual unit where the patients are located.

 

[jennapuppy]

well.. I believe we all now know exactly what the issue was that they COULD NOT EXPLAIN WHY THE SHOOTER FIRST WENT TO ROIGS CLASSROOM, BUT THEN WENT ONTO ROSSEAUS WHERE HE ENTERED AND BEGAN KILLING!..

that reason that they couldn't explain was the fact that Roig's classroom door was locked...therefor the gunman carried onto the next classroom, Rouseeau whose door quite obviously was NOT LOCKED DUE TO REASONS BEYOND HER CONTROL..

so, I see that they were quite literally skirting this issue of the locked door vs Rouseeau's unlocked door as to why he passed by Roig's classroom..obviously to not have to deal with the issue that since then Rousseau's father has let out of the bag, in that his daughter as substitute had not yet been given a key to be able to lock her door as Roig was able to do, thereby quite literally saving the lives of Roig and her students...

now the issue of Soto..why would she not have put her classroom on lock down?..she hid her students but didn't lock the classroom door?..do any have any ideas on why possibly she didn't?.. and to be clear I am in no way blaming her as she quite clearly gave her life for those kids as she hurled herself between them and the gunman as they were attempting to flee...but I do wonder about her door being not locked, and wonder why?
http://www.courant.com/news/connect...shooting-1216-20121215,0,5058106.story?page=1

This is just a guess, but perhaps her class was in the hallway - maybe walking to the library or somewhere else - and she was trying to get them all back into the classroom and just ran out of time.

 

[cluciano63]

Thanks to everyone's gathering of some facts about this incomprehensible event

The vibe is get is NL really tried her best to help AL in all aspects of his life. No she was'nt perfect, handling a highly disturbed son is alot of work.
Many people in the upper class areas are always keeping up their image of strength and they're always in control of everything

I think she was overwhelmed and also wanted to go it alone it seems and not solicit help from family, relatives, the Conn social services system

She was great at appearing to her friends, etc putting up appearances that life was all good and normal, perfectly fine in the Lanza family. Her huge mistake was not opening up ( at least as far as we know)

And if she had a secret battle with MS to deal with I can very well see her logic to make sure AL was taken care of in a group home. Because she was planning ahead, moving forward with her own health uncertainties and care. Maybe her ex husband declined her request to accept AL into his home to help her out?

Yes, she made some really horrible decisions of keeping some incredibly powerful weapons in her home with her emotionally distrubed living there

And I get the strong vibe NL's nerves were frayed and wearing thin how to handle her son, who's behavior probably was digressing on a daily basis where action was necessary

And AL maybe caught wind of his Mom's plans for him and he exploded in the out of control brutal rage by killing her so ferociously and then the school children were part of his mom's life and the school possibly was where AL was originally diagnosed or his disturbed behaviors surfaced to everyone's attention

AL likely would've searched out to kill everyone in the school and who knows where else he would've gone to kill more if the LE had'nt shown up as early as they did. Because IMO he planned to use all of his ammo that day

Was it confirmed that NL had anything to do with this school after all? I thought it was said that she hadn't. Other than the one year that AL (possibly?) attended 14 of so years ago.

I guess he picked the school purposely but also wonder if that age was the last time he felt "normal", the age of the children he killed.

 

[txsvicki]

Most of the schools in many towns are very old buildings and parking around schools in my town is terrible. It would be very hard to build on corridors or gate a school. Also, schools need to watch the cafeteria worker doors. Our elementary started locking entry doors years ago, but never locked the cafeteria. I figured it out and would always enter there to keep from having to walk so far.

 

[Reannan]

I think I am going to go to my school and ask them to let me walk through and do a "threat assessment". I do not have any formal training in security or LE... (I could diagnose a case of syphils, however!!!). I DO have an innate sense of safety and security, and I have been a WS member for a long, long, long, time.... I have done "home defense" drills at my house. We "pretend" someone is breaking in during the middle of the night kind of thing. Places look different, and you see different things when you walk through them thinking of ways you could be harmed... or ways you could harm...

 

[brighidin]

This is just a guess, but perhaps her class was in the hallway - maybe walking to the library or somewhere else - and she was trying to get them all back into the classroom and just ran out of time.

Maybe. I kind of think that she thought her door was locked, and for whatever reason, it wasn't. Maybe the lock was jammed or wasn't working properly. I have nothing to base this on, just a feeling.

 

[jjenny]

Or maybe he managed to brake her door. He is described as "bursting" into that class.

 

[Wise Old Owl]

A lot of this security is common sense. It really is - and its really mind-boggling to see how many staff members in school have absolutely none. Not all - I know an whole lot of many wonderful caring teachers - but I've also seen a whole lot of the others as well.

I think schools should be smaller. Even this school - 600 in an elementary - that's big - especially being out in the suburbs/country like they are. Schools could specialize - every child learns different. I'm seeing single gender classes come back. All boys or all girls - and I think that's good. I've had children that would have really benefited from that - does it work for all? No it doesn't. And to offer each - you are back to having at least 3 classes of every grade (one boys, one girls, one mixed) - in a K-5 school that's 18 classes - 360 +\- kids. That's ok - as long as you don't expand. I personally like only one or two classes per grade.

With smaller schools - smaller property. It really bothers me when people talk about turning the schools into prisons. No. No way. Celebrities live in HUGE mansions on "compounds" that are very very very secure - wouldn't call that prison. So, small school on a "compound" with enough property for classrooms, recess, playground, gym. etc. wouldn't be that big. Nice decorative concrete wall - with 2 gates (either buzzed or manned) and you're pretty safe.

Its these big mega-urbanville schools that really bother me. Here - there are over 235 schools in just my district alone! Yep. And our high schools are at populations over 5000 per school! How could even the best and the brightest not get "lost in the sauce" here?


Ok - I'm rambling now - I'll stop. But I'm glad this discussion is finally being had and change will come.

 

[3doglady]

Was it confirmed that NL had anything to do with this school after all? I thought it was said that she hadn't. Other than the one year that AL (possibly?) attended 14 of so years ago.

I guess he picked the school purposely but also wonder if that age was the last time he felt "normal", the age of the children he killed.

I heard that NL had no relation with the school. Then today I heard she was friends with the principle and did volunteer there. So ???

I read that Peter L's new wife was a librarian but no mention of where she worked. Someone linked an article earlier that AL ended the relationship with his father after PL remarried. Just speculating whether the new wife worked at a school.

 

[LaneGirl]

Dont believe "locking" children up in school is an answer, spending more Govt money, creating more "monsters"..Society as a whole has sunk to unbelievable levels..Look at the people around you, not killers, the one's who think they should "have their way" because just because "they are so important...These same ppl are raising another generation ...This world has way more issues than this "one killer" posesses... Until people have morals, etc and many other things in their lives, I for one dont believe any thing is going to change what happens..Putting HUGH band aids on things, ie locking doors, hiring more police, etc will never solve any of it...!! and that is jmo

Agreed, we here posting with "solutions" of locking/spending are not stating these are perfect answers and without flaw. We are in shock as you are and trying to think/distract from the horror, of something/anything that may prevent "mass" school shooting in the future without breaking forum rules (gun control discusion, etc).

 

[Celeste]

I think I am going to go to my school and ask them to let me walk through and do a "threat assessment". I do not have any formal training in security or LE... (I could diagnose a case of syphils, however!!!). I DO have an innate sense of safety and security, and I have been a WS member for a long, long, long, time.... I have done "home defense" drills at my house. We "pretend" someone is breaking in during the middle of the night kind of thing. Places look different, and you see different things when you walk through them thinking of ways you could be harmed... or ways you could harm...

I also plan to talk to my son's principal this week about weaknesses I note in the school's security. But the good thing is that I see lots of this sort of thinking happening in the schools already, just in the last couple of days. My best friend and husband both work in elementary schools, and I know that their campuses have been responding and adapting. Administrators are reviewing safety plans and implementing new plans to accomodate lessons learned from the Newtown tragedy. So it would appear that lots of schools are open to positive change right now. It's a silver lining to this very dark cloud that has befallen us.

 

[jennapuppy]

Or maybe he managed to brake her door. He is described as "bursting" into that class.

I wonder if that type of weapon can just shoot off the door knob.

 

[jjenny]

I wonder if that type of weapon can just shoot off the door knob.

He did manage to force his way into school, apparently by shooting through the glass.

 

[kalekona]

Was it confirmed that NL had anything to do with this school after all? I thought it was said that she hadn't. Other than the one year that AL (possibly?) attended 14 of so years ago.

I guess he picked the school purposely but also wonder if that age was the last time he felt "normal", the age of the children he killed.

Yes the Administrator confirmed he did go there for a year, I think it was more like half a year, sounds like the class moved to a new school in January.

 

[Straitfan]

Furthermore, no matter how many locks, etc, etc, etc people such as this individual will find a way to do what they plan to do. The more life is "changed" to revolve around "them" the more we lose, the more it cost, etc, etc until what...we became prisoners in our own homes?