To help the community discussion in the wake of the tragic shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School, the Marysville Globe-Arlington Times asked Stephanie Hope Smith to provide us with some information. She accompanied visitors to Marysville from the Red Lake Reservation shooting. She is the Dream Catcher Family coordinator and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 and 2013 for her mediation work with tribes. The following is an edited version of what she provided:
In January 2013, Bloomington Public Schools partnered with the Bloomington police and fire departments to initiate a two-phase School Safety & Security Review.
Phase One consisted of a school-by-school analysis to determine the perceived level of safety among various stakeholders (e.g., students, staff and parents) through a facilitated discussion that sought input on safety measures and barriers to improved safety measures. This process of “taking the temperature” of our key stakeholders provided valuable insights into the perception and tolerance for security changes to our schools.
Phase Two was a formal school safety and security audit to identify vulnerabilities and threats.
The recommendations call for:
• Renovating all main entrances to limit school access by funneling visitors into the main office once school is in session. Visitors would also be required to check-in using a new computerized visitor management system.
• Designating points of entry with electronic access control and integrating exterior doors with the school’s alarm system in the event a door is left ajar or an attempt is made to pry the door open.
• Upgrading all classroom doors with keysets that lock from the inside.
• Upgrading and installing security cameras.
• Installing manual alarm activation devices for use in an emergency.
• A training program for all employees in accordance with the Incident Command System used by police, fire and emergency responders. School crisis plans will also be revised to ensure they are compliant with the National Incident Management System.
• Additional recommendations include creating task forces to address after-school program safety, and a review of the district’s mental health staffing, identification and interventions for students with mental health needs.
Q. – What are the costs for the school safety and security projects that would be funded by a Capital Projects Levy?
A – The projected cost is $6.8 million. The financing plan calls for spending $2 million/year for the 10-year term of the levy. It is anticipated that it will take 4-5 years to fund all of the initial recommendations. Remaining funds will be earmarked for replacement, maintenance and upgrades to current and new safety/security equipments (e.g. cameras, alarm systems, radios, etc.).
Q. – How is the district addressing the mental health needs of students?
A – The plan calls for the creation of a task force to review the district’s multi-disciplinary program to address students’ mental health needs, including staffing, identification and interventions.
Q: Would any of the new security measures prevent a student or non-student from entering schools with a knife, gun or other dangerous weapon?
A: The recommendations are considered “best practices” within the national Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design standards. CPTED standards of physical and sociological environmental design are part of security improvements that focus on prevention, intervention and response. While even the best school access control efforts will likely not guarantee that a determined outsider will not be able to gain access to the school, the proposed security measures are designed to reduce the risks.
Q: Will any staff be armed?
A: No. District policy prohibits weapons from being on school property except for trained and licensed law enforcement personnel, including our school resource officers who are members of the Bloomington Police Department. Parents, staff and community members were overwhelmingly opposed to the introduction and/or use of weapons by school staff.
Q: Does the district already use closed-circuit TV cameras?
A: A majority of our schools employ surveillance technology as part of a comprehensive approach to school safety – one that focuses on awareness, intervention and prevention, as opposed to only detection and deterrence. The recommendation for upgraded cameras is intended to equip all schools with surveillance technology.
Q: What is the individual cost of replacing locks?
A: Not all classroom doors will need keysets that lock from the inside. We estimate 1,500 new keysets will need to be installed at a cost of $621,250.
Regarding Sandy Hook (Newtown School District) just like Bloomington, they worked hard to listen to and address community concerns. They already implemented a lot of the “best practices” but when the shooter is known to the school staff, and is not a perceived threat, these measures will not prevent what happened.
So the discourse continues – should staff be armed, what kind of locks and cameras should be installed, how many times should you talk about these horrible possibilities with kids and staff, and practice drills. Is the memorial off site or on site and how does that affect students?
Columbine rebuilt the library, got new furniture and started from scratch so kids wouldn’t flashback. The discourse focused on bullying, left out kids.
Red Lake took the barbed wire down from the school and wanted it to be more inviting (kids didn’t want to return and many didn’t). The discourse focused on mental illness of American Indian youth, use of prozac on teens.
Sandy Hook students were transferred to an empty building in a neighboring school district until the new building was ready. The discourse focused on gun control.
