SCHOOL SAFETY…TOP PRIORTY


A few days ago I read in another paper the beginning of the plan to bring school safety to top priority in the Enfield Schools. I compliment School Board member Andre Greco for his leadership and knowledge of this important issue.

Never in our nations history has school safety been more on the minds of everyone who have children in the public school system. We have seen the horror of kids shooting up their schools, college campuses shocked with the blood of innocent young adults, and even NASA has seen the pain of an outraged employee.

I long for the days when kids never even thought of this kind of thing. Back in my day of attending school our worries were more about mom and dad seeing our report card, and if we got caught smoking in the lavatory.

However, things have changed. The world is a more dangerous place. Hatred is more alive today then it has ever been.

So, what can we do to make our schools safer?

There are four basic components to school safety from my viewpoint. Now, there may be more to all this and I am in no way an expert on the subject, but I have some thoughts on the issue.

First, we need to use technology to create a safe environment. Cameras, keypad entries, and alarms on doors that do not serve as the main entrance. These three items will make getting into the school a lot harder. It cannot stop every unwanted entry, but it can make it more difficult for unwanted people to roam the halls.

Second, train staff and students in what to do in case of an emergency. Hold lock down drills. Discuss reporting unknown people on the school premises. Most of all share with the students the value of reporting talk among their piers that have made statements of possible violence.

Third, Enfield Police should rehearse with the students on what to do if the situation of a gunman should present itself. Now, some will say this will frighten the students. Nevertheless, I would rather have prepared kids, then kids reacting in panic.

Forth, hold a Community Conversation about school safety. We have these forums to discuss budgets and No Child Left Behind, why not school safety. As I watched the reports of school shootings on the news I noticed that there seems to be a lot of confusion with the parents seeking information and trying to find their child.

Educating parents is of great value in responding to an event of extreme danger. The Town Council, Board of Education, and Enfield Police would be wise to partner in this Community Conversation. By meeting the parents’ leaders could hear the publics concerns and leaders could advise on procedures that are set in place to handle a tragic event.

From by discussions with Enfield Chief of Police Carl Sferrazza and Security Committee Chairman Andre Greco I know that leaders would welcome this kind of dialog. I asked Mr. Greco why school security is so important.

He stated “The world is a different place then it was 25 years ago” and “it is better to be proactive, then reactive” Mr. Greco also emphasized “that it is better then questioning why you did not do enough to prevent a tragedy.”

The big question with any additional spending is setting priorities. With the school budget being so tight this year I asked Mr. Greco why this is an important item to be considered. He responded by saying, “we have an obligation to protect the students, school is where they spend 8 hours a day, and we should create an environment that makes them feel secure.”

I agree totally with Mr. Greco. The budget is tight this year, but school safety should be a priority. The Republicans on the school Board have developed a plan to save money in other areas. In the weeks ahead I will report on the details on this plan. By implementing the Republican plan we could seriously look at school security. I compliment the Republican Board members for their creativity to make education the best in Enfield, while at the same time lessoning the tax burden on you and me.

Let’s not wait until something happens to create a security plan for our schools.

Greg Stokes