New School rules

[cstockmyer]

(CBS4) DENVER In the wake of the deadly shooting at Platte Canyon High School and now the one in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, many parents are understandably worried about the safety of our schools. Armed intruders in schools is a new category of violence that many may not have considered in the past which prompted CBS4 to ask the Tough Question: What's being done to keep intruders out of our schools?

The good news is that many of the changes that were made in the wake of the Columbine shooting apply to these kinds of potential threats. Those changes include modifying school architecture so that most schools have a single entrance that is hopefully protected by watchful eyes. Also, the shooting at Columbine taught us to take every threat seriously.

Some new measures are also being put into place.

Parents of students at Denver's East High School got notes this week about a plan to require student and staff to wear I.D. badges at school. The principal at Denver's West High School, Pat Sanchez, keeps an eye on students when they're in the halls, but he told CBS4 that he's also concerned when the halls are empty.

"Part of what we have done is we have people on duty in our building, supervising at all times," Sanchez said.

Like many of the schools in the metro area, West High School has cameras and resource officers.

"The best deterrent is actually human interaction," said Bruce Snelling, head of security for Denver Public Schools. "So if we have campus security officers there, their job is to challenge somebody who walks on campus."

In Douglas County Schools, there are security people posted near the front door of every building.

Security officers ask a lot of questions and added volunteers this week to monitor doors at elementary schools.

Many of metro area elementary schools are lacking security measures. Since the perpetrators at Columbine were students, many districts added cameras and changed procedures at middle and high schools. Since the most recent attacks were committed by strangers, elementary schools are becoming more vigilant.

Many of the districts CBS4 talked to said they're not implementing new initiatives mostly because they feel comfortable with the changes they've already made.

Officials in Weld County said they're reinforcing their visitor check-in procedure. Cherry Creek Schools said they already require staff to wear badges and they've trained students and staff to report outsiders. In Boulder County, principals were reviewing their crisis plans. Jefferson County Schools, Aurora Schools and Adams District 14 also said they're being more vigilant when it comes to monitoring strangers coming into their buildings.

All of this though may begin to should as if we have to act paranoid.

Douglas County Safety Director, Larry Borland, said he hopes these attacks and security measures don't make everyone paranoid.

"Well, I hope we're not paranoid, I hope we're prudent ... the world's a different place," Borland said. "I mean the world is a different place since Columbine, it's a different place since 9/11. We have to be reasonable, we have to be prudent, but I don't think we have to be paranoid."

Experts said short of adding heavily armed squads to protect schools, there is still risk.

"The best thing we can do is to try to be proactive and to make sure that we have security in place, front line security where somebody sees a school as a target and we deter them somehow," Snelling said.

The Head of Security for Douglas County Schools also told CBS4 that parents are some of the biggest offenders when it comes to violations of security rules. Many of them want to come and go quickly without restrictions.

I got that from News4colorado.com

I have some questions:

-Who gets to ask the guy with the gun where his ID badge is?
- I have NEVER seen security at my mothers school, at best they have teachers at all doors during the morning, lunch and after school.

Am I the only one who thinks this is like closing the door to the barn after the cows got free??

[Halfpint]

A lot of what they are doing is basically `touchy-feeley' / `feel good' drek. If a `wacko' or `terrorist' really is intent upon raising havoc none of it will matter. *Personally* I would feel *a lot* better if both people, like parents or others who happened to have `business' at or around the schools, with CCWs *and* teachers and other school `officials' *with* CCWs were allowed to carry within the schools. While not *every* `incident' could be `resolved' by this the vast majority could. (I am *not* advocating that teachers and other school officials should be required to get CCWs. There are definitely some of each who just plain wouldn't be good `candidates' for it. However... Those who are `good candidates' and who most likely may already have a CCW shouldn't be `hamstrung' by `victim disarmament' type laws like what we now have. I *know* that *I* would feel a *lot* better about *my* children with that type of situation than the stuff that they currently have in place or are advocating.)

Just an `Olde Fart's' 2¢ worth {GRIM GRIN!}

[Moosemedic]

Excellent point on the CCW.

Permit holders aren't "Gun Nuts" (Ok, maybe a few are) but to even obtain a CCW you must have kept yourself on the straight and narrow, met pretty tough standards and take it seriously. If you've had a past that included innapropriate use of a firearm, you're not a CCW holder.

My CHURCH actually ASKED several people to obtain a CCW, after a parisioner did the math on the collection plate. The Sunday services have anywhere from 450 to 600 people, each tossing in between $5 and $20 CASH each service. Then some frail volunteer took these heavy bags to the CLOSED bank in the evening for a night deposit drop.

All this "feel goood" stuff the schools are doing is a waste. And I'm still reading about our local LEO's issuing a municipal summons for "having a knife in thier pocket". Let's try that concept at Platte Canyon HS, I'm thinking they woulnd't be quite as laid back about a CONCELAED WEAPON on school grounds.

[rfburns]

Originally Posted by cstockmyer

"The best deterrent is actually human interaction," said Bruce Snelling, head of security for Denver Public Schools.

What happened to Ed Ray? I thought he was head of security. I thought Snelling was just the Patrol Operations Manager. Anyone know if there has been a change?

[evergreenwaterman]

Perhaps this is becoming more of a topic for the tavern section, but I believe and would support the concept of CCW in the schools with flexibility, not mandated criteria, on who is CCW based on the school criteria. What a reasonable deterring element, although not absolute, for a gunman who knows there is a deadly force on site....Dave

[Thayne]

Ed Ray is still the head guy; but he was probably at LaMarrs donut shop

[rfburns]

Originally Posted by Thayne

probably at LaMarrs donut shop

Where's that located? Probably wasn't there when Ed was on 155.25 or even 155.07 or it would have been too far to go for a seven.

[MikeyB]

Here's a letter to the editor in Today's Rocky Mountain News. I can't tell if they're kidding or not?


In the wake of the tragedy in Bailey, I believe we have to think outside the box in terms of how to protect our children while at school.

I have an idea worth consideration.

In building new schools, let's combine a school and a firehouse. The firemen are professionals who do a courageous job. Their place of work is a designated safe place. They have 24/7 coverage. Why not build a firehouse at every new school?

Yes, it would be a little disruptive when the firehouse alarm goes off, but in this day and age, I think we have bigger worries, like the safety of our children.

The presence of our protectors - firefighters - might make a person with ill intent think twice. There is no way to keep our children completely safe when a person is willing to die with his dirty deeds, but we must do what we can.

[Thayne]

LaMarr's donuts is on 6th & Kalamath, so old Ed can pick up a dozen glazed and a dozen french crullers and bismarcks with raspberry filling and be at his office at 9th and Grant without straining his grease filled arteries one little bit..

155.25 and 155.07 must have been in the Edgewater days??

[rfburns]

Originally Posted by Thayne

155.25 and 155.07 must have been in the Edgewater days??

Jeffco then Wheatridge when Pinson became Chief.

[cstockmyer]

For what it's worth, most of the teachers my mother works with feel nothings changed since Columbine. They all have had school ID's for years, to bad most of their ID cards are 2 years old. The bully hot line is a joke, so is security. There was an idiot somewhere out east that brought up the idea that maybe we should arm teachers, am I the only one who finds that funny?

[datainmotion]

Hmmmm. Its been brought up before.

Having a CCP only means you took at least a class (no strict standards for the students) and passed a background check (only a minority of the population as a whole wouldn't pass). There is no requirement for live fire training certification to get a CCP in Colorado let alone a "how to hit ONLY your target in a crowded environment" as a school would be.

I'm not sure if allowing guns into schools with anyone other than sworn, trained law enforcement personnel would necessarily be a good idea.

[evergreenwaterman]

CC in the schools with some educated and logical discretion would seem to diminish concerns regarding basic CC requirements, don't you think?

[datainmotion]

Its hard to say. As a parent of 3 school age children I just don't know. Met some fairly unstable folks at the front of the classrooms. I think the answer lies outside of the main doors so to speak.