How safe is my child at school?
By Mimi Vanderhaven
On a cool December morning in 2012, Adam Lanza approached Sandy Hook Elementary School toting a semiautomatic rifle. When he couldn’t get through the locked doors, he shot out a nearby window and entered the building, where he opened fire and killed 20 students, six staff members, and, ultimately, himself.
And though we’d all like to think there’s no chance that could ever happen here, Sandy Hook was a real wake-up call to the potential realities for violence at schools anywhere.
Since that time, more advanced surveillance systems and shatter-proof window film have been developed.
As our kids head back to school this month, the most elemental worry on parents’ minds is the answer to, “How safe is my child?”
Willoughby-Eastlake Schools have always approached student safety in a proactive and progressive fashion, especially when it comes to emergency preparedness.
From implementing a system for teachers to access emergency plans on their phones to a two-way radio system in all schools, indoor and outdoor cameras by the entrances of schools, a visitor screening system and different levels of training are just a few of the actions taken over the past several years.
This summer, they kicked off a plan that over the next three years will cover school windows with a pioneering 3M Safety Film. Naked to the visible eye, the film renders windows shatter-proof against gunfire.
“Our district understands that the most important factor in minimizing harm to students when encountering a perpetrator is to slow them down,” says Superintendent Steve Thompson. “Slowing the assailant buys critical time in which first responders can be on the way to assist during such an emergency.”
He reports that three schools were treated this summer. For security purposes, they cannot disclose which ones. The whole process took the technicians from Sunray Window Films of Willoughby about a day to install.
He reports the cost for this safety measure comes from the standard operating budget.
To see more about the ongoing safety precautions, visit WESchools.org. For a demonstration of how the 3M film can block an armed break-in attempt, check out Sunray-Films.com/products/3m-safety-security-fragment-retentionwindow-films.