Not in My School

Back in the day, students were taught how to protect themselves from fire and the unimaginable nuclear attack. I remember, with fondness, the fire drills that would come during class where we would follow the teacher’s lead to a secure place outside, which was a safe distance from the classroom.

We also were taught how to duck and cover beneath our desks, and how to follow single file to a safe room in case of natural disaster.

For today’s students, however, it is a matter of selfpreservation. The attacks come from fellow students, even friends. The new drill is a lockdown. Here’s how it works: At the very thought of a threat, teachers are instructed to turn off the lights in their classrooms, lock the door and usher students into corners or closets. The police are called, while students wait until an “all clear” signal is given.

School administrators nationwide have worked with police departments to create detailed plans to secure schools, an effort that took on increasing meaning after the December 2012 shooting in Newtown, Conn.

Of the memories of my schools days, a fire alarm was never taken seriously, although we complied. I remember one fire alarm during an Algebra II class. Yes, we filed outside the classroom, but it seemed to be more of an annoyance than a protective measure.

Even today’s lockdowns are somewhat desensitizing students to the alarm of a shooter or threat. Bombarded with a litany of alarm sounds seems to do that. The lockdowns are part of numerous new security measures that schools have deployed over the last decade, including the use of CCTV, and today, high-definition and megapixel cameras.

Most states have passed legislation that require schools to have safety plans in place, so some schools have doors that lock automatically, with police officers inside the building. At other schools, a security drill may consist of the principal making an announcement whereupon students sit in darkened classrooms. Yet, other schools will act out fake shooting scenarios with the police department stalking through the halls like a gunman and testing doors to see if they are locked.

School violence is not new, though January 2014 seems to have been particularly violent:

  • On Jan. 9, a 17-year-old high school student was wounded when a 16-year-old classmate allegedly shot him outside of Liberty Technology Magnet High School in Jackson, Tenn.
  • On Jan. 13, a 14-year-old freshman at Hillhouse High School in New Haven, Conn., was shot twice after a basketball game at this school. The shooter was not immediately apprehended, but days later a 17-year-old turned himself in.
  • On Jan. 14, two students were shot at a Roswell, New Mexico middle school. The gunman was a 12-year-old male who opened fire in this school gym, until a staff member at the school talked him into putting down his weapon.
  • On Jan. 17, a 17-year-old student at a Philadelphia charter school opened fire and injured two of his classmates. The suspect will be charged as an adult. Two other teens were brought in for questioning in connection to this incident, but were later cleared.
  • Also on Jan. 17, an Albany High School student was shot near campus. This Friday shooting sent the Georgia school into lockdown.

And, there are six other crimes just like these during this month, as well.

Believe it or not, school violence started as long ago as the 1760s. The earliest known U.S. shooting to happen on school property was the Pontiac’s Rebellion school massacre on July 26, 1764, where four Lenape American Indians entered the schoolhouse near present-day Greencastle, Pa., shot and killed schoolmaster Enoch Brown, and killed nine or 10 children. Only three children survived.

Then, on Nov. 2, 1853, in Louisville, Ky., student Matthew Ward bought a pistol that morning, went to school and killed the schoolmaster, Mr. Butler, as revenge for what Ward thought was excessive punishment to his brother the day before. Ward was acquitted.

Neither of these historical examples proves that violence is accepted today, but they do serve to show that security measures should have always been in place.

In December 2013, when an 18-year-old student walked into his high school and fatally shot a fellow student in the head, students huddled in their classrooms behind locked doors, as police swept the hallways searching for the suspect. Classrooms were evacuated one by one, and students were permitted to leave with hands over their heads onto fields outside the school. All of this according to a security plan put in place by school officials.

I suppose it all comes down to budget allocations by school boards and districts to protect students, teachers and staff. When you get right down to it, though, school is the last place violence should ever take place.

This article originally appeared in the March 2014 issue of Security Today.

Featured

  • Analysis of AI Tools Shows 85 Percent Have Been Breached

    AI tools are becoming essential to modern work, but their fast, unmonitored adoption is creating a new kind of security risk. Recent surveys reveal a clear trend – employees are rapidly adopting consumer-facing AI tools without employer approval, IT oversight, or any clear security policies. According to Cybernews Business Digital Index, nearly 90% of analyzed AI tools have been exposed to data breaches, putting businesses at severe risk. Read Now

  • Software Vulnerabilities Surged 61 Percent in 2024, According to New Report

    Action1, a provider of autonomous endpoint management (AEM) solutions, today released its 2025 Software Vulnerability Ratings Report, revealing a 61% year-over-year surge in discovered software vulnerabilities and a 96% spike in exploited vulnerabilities throughout 2024, amid an increasingly aggressive threat landscape. Read Now

  • Evolving Cybersecurity Strategies: Uniting Human Risk Management and Security Awareness Training

    Organizations are increasingly turning their attention to human-focused security approaches, as two out of three (68%) cybersecurity incidents involve people. Threat actors are shifting from targeting networks and systems to hacking humans via social engineering methods, living off human errors as their most prevalent attack vector. Whether manipulated or not, human cyber behavior is leveraged to gain backdoor access into systems. This mainly results from a lack of employee training and awareness about evolving attack techniques employed by malign actors. Read Now

  • Report: 1 in 3 Easily Exploitable Vulnerabilities Found on Cloud Assets

    CyCognito recently released new research highlighting critical security vulnerabilities across cloud-hosted assets, revealing that one in three easily exploitable vulnerabilities or misconfigurations are found on cloud assets. As organizations increasingly shift to multi-cloud strategies, the findings underscore significant security gaps that could provide attackers with potential footholds into networks. Read Now

  • Built for Today, Ready for Tomorrow

    Selecting the right VMS is critical for any organization that depends on video surveillance to ensure safety, security and operational efficiency. While many organizations focus on immediate needs such as budget and deployment size, let us review some of the long-term considerations that can significantly impact a VMS's utility and flexibility. Read Now

New Products

  • Mobile Safe Shield

    Mobile Safe Shield

    SafeWood Designs, Inc., a manufacturer of patented bullet resistant products, is excited to announce the launch of the Mobile Safe Shield. The Mobile Safe Shield is a moveable bullet resistant shield that provides protection in the event of an assailant and supplies cover in the event of an active shooter. With a heavy-duty steel frame, quality castor wheels, and bullet resistant core, the Mobile Safe Shield is a perfect addition to any guard station, security desks, courthouses, police stations, schools, office spaces and more. The Mobile Safe Shield is incredibly customizable. Bullet resistant materials are available in UL 752 Levels 1 through 8 and include glass, white board, tack board, veneer, and plastic laminate. Flexibility in bullet resistant materials allows for the Mobile Safe Shield to blend more with current interior décor for a seamless design aesthetic. Optional custom paint colors are also available for the steel frame.

  • Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden Door Controls is pleased to announce that, in response to soaring customer demand, it has expanded its range of ValueWave™ no-touch switches to include a narrow (slimline) version with manual override. This override button is designed to provide additional assurance that the request to exit switch will open a door, even if the no-touch sensor fails to operate. This new slimline switch also features a heavy gauge stainless steel faceplate, a red/green illuminated light ring, and is IP65 rated, making it ideal for indoor or outdoor use as part of an automatic door or access control system. ValueWave™ no-touch switches are designed for easy installation and trouble-free service in high traffic applications. In addition to this narrow version, the CM-221 & CM-222 Series switches are available in a range of other models with single and double gang heavy-gauge stainless steel faceplates and include illuminated light rings.

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.