The Future of School Safety

In this section we explore the various aspects of how the safety of schools can be enhanced in the future. Second only perhaps to their homes, schools are sacred places where students of all ages should have a belief that they are safe as they study about the world around them. Sadly, while the overwhelming majority of schools are safe, and their students will never experience the horror of an active shooter ion their campuses, there are so many instances of these despicable crimes occurring that the question “Will my child (or I) be safe at school today? Will school officials and the police keep them safe?” has become commonplace in American households.

School safety involves everybody in a community. It is very common, for instance, that prior to their crimes, school shooters telegraph their intentions to somebody. It is therefore possible that these uninvolved witnesses could inform the police or school officials before people are hurt. It also involves facility design (crime prevention through environmental design), the use of technologies like metal detectors, gunshot detectors, automated lock-down mechanisms and even the (controversial) use of drones. And it involves school policies and practices that focus on everything from student discipline and staff accountability to collaboration with the police and social service providers to help remove off-campus barriers to younger students’ learning. And finally, school safety obviously involves police responses, before, during and after school shootings. As the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas highlighted, “cops count” in the intervention of active school shooters - but only if they act to stop the shooter and save lives.

The future of school safety is a complicated one. It is about so much more than simply surrounding campuses with fences and gates (although they are important). The dynamics of the human experience, societal evolution and changing community and generational expectations, evolving technologies and fundamental policies and practices are all intertwined. As we explore the many facets of school safety we intend to highlight those things we believe will help students, parents, teachers, school officials, and the police officers that help keep them safe, become more effective at maintaining the sacredness of our schools.