Protecting Children While in School

This paper aims to discuss a means and method of protecting children from violent predation while they are in school. It is not meant to be an exhaustive statement on the subject. It is intended to initiate the uncomfortable conversation about how we are placing the security of our children near the bottom of our priorities. My studied opinion is that the public discourse following the school shootings of the past few decades fails to address the real problems and, instead, focuses on popular political talking points that provide no solution. Articles like the one linked here illustrate the problem. https://publications.csba.org/california-school-news/november-2022/a-focus-on-school-safety/

Nothing in that article, nor in the bills being pushed through the legislature of that state, deals with the issue in a manner that will be effective. I will talk about some of these matters, and I would like you to join me in that conversation, without regard to subject bias. Let’s look at facts and solutions that will work to eliminate predator access to kids.

To properly address the situation and provide practical answers, it is essential to understand the challenges we face. First and foremost, we are leaving our most valued belongings, our children, unprotected and exposed. We wouldn’t think of going to a bank and leaving our money on an open counter, but that is the equivalent of dropping our kids off at a school that has no effective security system to protect them.

Two facts need to be kept in mind as we explore solutions. First, predators have always existed and will continue to do so. Every species on earth experiences predation, and many ‘higher order’ species occasionally kill their offspring. Any discussion of how to identify and eliminate predators before an event is a distraction; what we need to focus on is protecting their prey. A herd of African buffalo doesn’t focus on getting rid of lions; they instinctively understand that perimeter security works, and so do the lions. Secondly, despite the common narrative, guns are not the issue, and arguing about them doesn’t protect kids in school. Knives are used to murder nearly three times as many people as rifles are. When we look at the weapons used in mass murders, we find that automobiles, knives, axes, and bombs are used frequently. In fact, the most notorious mass murder in recent decades was performed with stolen jet planes, commandeered by men using box cutters to perfect their theft.

Similarly, any argument that includes arming teachers is also misplaced. Assuming that the average grade school has around thirty-five teachers and staff, we could expect that between five and seven might qualify psychologically. Then there is the matter of training them to carry weapons, which is further complicated by the issue of threat assessment and confrontation. I’m not opposed to arming qualified teachers, but that is a last defense and should not be considered a solution. The goal should be keeping the killers out, forcing them through layers of defense, and funneling them into areas where they can be neutralized.

Any effective plan to prevent and defeat threats of any kind needs to include three elements:

• Physical Barriers.
• Humans.
• Technology.