In light of recent school shootings, the gun control issue has again reached a deadlock. The Outlook has thus opted to tackle an equally important facet of the safety issue: school security reform.
Currently, individual schools within the district periodically submit school safety plans to comply with regulations. Before the plan is adopted, a public meeting must be held so that the public may offer an opinion. Though the Outlook fully supports such measures, the specifications of the current emergency plan are relatively unknown to Aragon faculty and staff. Thus, the occasional lockdown drills are often disregarded by faculty and students. Furthermore, with the recent completion of Aragon construction projects and the numerous changes to the campus layout, the current plan is likely outdated. It is in the best interest of community members that the district either revise the current plan or actively publicize any ongoing efforts to do so.
In addition, the enforced use of visitor passes and the creation of a faculty and staff ID badge system would be simple but easily implementable. The enforcement of such additional identification requirements could serve as another small but effective barrier for surprise intrusion and would allow for more efficient identification of intruders.
But, in the event of an intrusion, the district needs to better utilize communication technology. Numerous universities operate emergency notification systems which rapidly notify students via phone, post emergency alerts to websites, and run emergency hotlines. The establishment of a similar system or at least a local emergency hotline would greatly benefit response efforts in an emergency.
At the same time, although the district currently has lockdown procedures, an armed intruder would have free rein over the campus until law enforcement officials arrive. Oftentimes, the damage has already been done. It would not be infeasible, then, for the district to offer a self-defense program for teachers. Numerous countries around the nation have offered programs that offer instruction in self-defense and critical thinking should an intruder enter a school campus.
Ultimately, while the Outlook advocates security policy reform, changes to current standards would by no means be a radical increase in the degree of regulatory standards that the district currently observes. Education facilities are designed to cultivate desire for higher learning. Thus, the Outlook recognizes that, as certain limitations apply to safety in the context of education, the best approach to any policy reform will take a balanced approach by refining currently established practices.
