A comprehensive approach is needed to deal with external threats at schools
Schools are soft targets. Like we’ve seen in many school shootings these past seven years and again recently in Bailey, Colorado and the Amish school community in Nickel Plains, PA the path of least resistance is first choice of hostile intruders. Placing metal detectors in schools in and of itself is not the solution. A more comprehensive approach to dealing with external threats is needed.There are no quick and easy solutions to ensure our children will be safe at school. Yet key stakeholders from the school and its community must come together to discuss and implement strategies for reducing violence in our schools. Considerations to immediately address include:

• Access control -.lock access points, route visitors to the main office
• Train staff  how to appropriately challenge unknown visitors
• Identification badges for visitors only after verification and access approved
• Full-time law enforcement (School Resource Officer) on campus
• Trained Campus Security on campus
• Crisis response training and drills for staff and students - regularly

Schools may also want to conduct a School Safety Assessment. A completed assessment will identify areas of vulnerability and strength; review safety and crisis preparedness policies; require interviews with school administrative staff, security personnel, local business owners and law enforcement; administer and analyze data from Student and Staff Climate Surveys and observe student and community behavior during and after school hours on and around campus.