[Vision2020] School Safety . . . A More Viable Option

[Tom Hansen]

You will notice the absence of armed security . . . and it works.  Imagine that.

Courtesy of the Army Times at:

http://www.ArmyTimes.com

-------------------------------------

DoD schools reviewing security after Connecticut shootings
By Karen Jowers 

In the wake of the shooting deaths of 20 children and six adults Dec. 14 at Sandy Hook Ele­mentary School in Newtown, Conn., defense school officials are assessing their security measures and how well their staffs are pre­pared to handle a crisis.

School officials have put out a data call to ensure schools are in compliance with Department of Defense Education Activity re­quirements, spokeswoman Elaine Kanellis said.

All DoDEA schools have one important layer of security that civilian schools do not: They are within the gates of a military installation. But that doesn’t mean school officials don’t pay attention to security, Kanellis said.

Schools are required to have spe­cific security plans that include preparation, response and recov­ery for a variety of incidents, to include an active shooter, she said. Local school officials coordinate their plans with their installation, and must review and update them each year. There has never been a shooting incident in a DoDEA school, officials said.

“I have a lot of confidence in our safety and security measures,” said Kim Perino, DoDEA’s emergency management program manager. “I don’t know that increased physical security makes us more secure. The plans and responses are just as important as physical security.” Among the measures in place: 

■ All DoDEA schools control how visitors enter the buildings. In most cases, the main office door is the only access after school starts. Some schools lock all the doors, and visitors must be buzzed in or physically let in to the building.

Some schools have guards, but for security reasons, officials do not name those locations, said DoDEA’s Rose Chunik, chief of safety and security. 

■ Visitors must sign in and out and wear badges. 

■ Exterior doors and windows are built to Department of Defense Antiterrorism Construction Stan­dards, “according to the local threat environment.” DoD would not give specifics for security reasons.

This applies to new construction; existing schools aren’t required to meet the anti-terrorism standards.

However, if a school is being ren­ovated, and the renovation cost is more than 50 percent of the replacement cost of a building — excluding the cost of meeting anti­terrorism standards — then the school must meet the standards, Chunik said. Over the next seven to eight years, about 70 percent of DoDEA schools will be replaced or renovated. 

■ Students receive security awareness training tailored to their age group, including lock­down procedures in response to an active shooter incident. 

■ Schools must have a communi­cation system to transmit signals and voice notifications. The system notifies staff members to execute one of four emergency responses: evacuation, shelter-in-place, lock­down or take cover. It also can be used to declare an “all clear.” Schools must conduct annual drills for shelter-in-place, lock­down and bomb threats. Some schools participate with their installation’s full-scale exercises. 

-------------------------------------

Seeya round town, Moscow, because . . .

"Moscow Cares"
http://www.MoscowCares.com
  
Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/attachments/20121224/4da2fcc8/attachment.html>