No matter where you live or what your background might be, parents share something in common: The love for our children. We all want what is best for them as they grow up. We want to teach them to be good people, and put them in a position to succeed. As parents, we also want to protect them and ensure their safety.
Sending our children to school is a way to make sure they learn knowledge and skills that prepare them for college or some other vocation later in life. We used to think of our schools as safe places for our children. That notion, however, was challenged in 1999 when 14 students and one teacher at Columbine High School lost their lives after two students went on a shooting spree.
Columbine began a national discourse about school security. That conversation, however, did not bring the needed security changes. Consider this: After Columbine, from 1999 to 2012, another 64 school shootings took place in grades 1 through 12. Of those events, 38 were fatal shootings that resulted in 83 lives lost. That’s an average of 4.5 shootings with 5.9 deaths each year!
Then came the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in December 2012, the largest such event at a grade-, middle- or high school in U.S. history. Sandy Hook shocked the nation when we learned 20 children and six adults had been fatally shot.
Security in schools was again addressed, and many school districts finally took it seriously. Main entrances at schools that were once open to all quickly became locked, with admittance only possible if you were “buzzed” into the building.
Sadly, these steps have not been enough. It’s been just over two years since Sandy Hook, and school shootings have continued. In that time, the nation experienced 44 events in grades 1 through 12. Twelve of those shootings were fatal and 50 students or adults lost their lives. That’s an average of 22 shootings with 20 deaths each year! These two-year numbers are larger than what was seen in the 14 years between Columbine and Sandy Hook.
If this trend continues we will see a larger number of school shooting deaths over the next decade than we experienced between 1999 and 2012!
Clearly, the security precautions taken after these two events has not been enough. To keep our schools and our children safe we need to institute enhanced security measures at our schools.
Trained and experienced security professionals, like those from American Security Force, can create individualized plans for school districts. Onsite security guards, patrolling buildings and campuses will act as a deterrent for those looking to harm others. Armed with the latest technology, our guards are able to report in real-time to school administrators, and provide live video of evolving situations. Our security professionals can even train staff on crisis response, as well.
Call American Security Force today at 877-722-8585 to learn about our specialized security solutions. Our children deserve a safe learning environment.
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_school_shootings_in_the_United_States
