There has been a lot of discussion regarding the school's security practices. My kids attended school in a town with a population of 700. There were no fences, no alarms, no sign-ins and no calls to parents if the child was absent. Open house and parent-teacher conferences were held in the evening and the office was not open but the front doors were unlocked.
I contacted some friends in three different states to see what security policies are in place at the schools that their children or grandchildren attend. None had alarms on the doors or security cameras, one would call a parent if the child was absent and all had a note on the door saying visitors were to sign in at the office. However, when there were special events at school such as open house, art fairs or things of that nature, signing in wasn't reinforced due to the sheer number of people coming at once.
The point I'm trying to make is there are schools all over the country with no security measures at all, especially small schools. I think this news story should be sent to schools and media all over the country so changes in security can be made.
I agree that this news story should be sent to schools all over the country. I actually thought that after the 1988 Laurie Dann case, school security tightened all over the country. Guess I was wrong. I am wondering how many more cases need to be spotlighted in order for schools everywhere to finally do something! Sure, nothing is 100% secure, especially if the child went off with someone he/she knows, but every little bit helps.
I know security in our local schools changed dramatically over 20 years ago, after the Dann case. Our local schools put in intercom systems at the main entrance. All other entrances were locked at all times. Visitors had to state who they were and what their business was before being buzzed into the school. There were cameras at the main entrances as well (and by now, I'm sure there are many other cameras in other areas of the school).
If children did not show up to school and their parents did not call them in sick, the grade schools would contact parents in the morning. While I'm sure people could still enter schools through carelessly propped open doors, it is still hard to believe schools would not take security more seriously in this day and age.
But the parents have a responsibility too. I was always very much aware of the importance of calling the school to report my childrens' absences before the start of the school day. It is not something that can be shrugged off for the school to figure out and I imagine it is very frustrating for the schools to call the homes only to have a parent say, "Oh, yeah, she's home, I just forgot to call in." No excuse for that. Parents and schools are responsible for keeping our children safe and secure.
Dann case:
link:
http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Alt/alt.true-crime/2008-05/msg02208.html
"Dann started her day early May 20. Before entering Hubbard Woods about
10:30 a.m., she lit a house on fire, attempted to firebomb a school
and delivered poisoned snacks to people she knew. She could have
killed dozens had any of those attempts succeeded.
Amy Moses:
Dann went into Hubbard Woods with three handguns she obtained legally,
tucked in the waistband of her shorts.
She went to the 2nd grade classroom where Moses was teaching bicycle
safety. She observed for a few moments and walked out. She spotted a
6-year-old boy at a water fountain, dragged him into a bathroom and
shot him in the upper right chest. She returned to the classroom, gun
in hand, and ordered Moses to herd the children into a corner. Moses
refused and tried to grab the firearm while yelling for help.
Dann broke free and shot five more children, killing Nicholas and
critically injuring the other four.
Moses was the only adult witness, a weight that still rests on her
slight frame. She never taught again. For years, she struggled to
sleep and eat and still steers clear of the news, she said."
Additional link to Dann case:
[ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurie_Dann[/ame]
