Along with the usual Labor Day stories about problems with school funding and reminders that it is only six short weeks until the next three-day weekend, the media will also report on school shootings. Sadly, we have already seen a couple of incidents. With Sandy Hook in mind, a number of companies have come out with "protective" school equipment and they are getting plenty of media attention.
One article in particular caught my eye. Perhaps you've seen it? Small, bulletproof white boards that will be furnished to some college professors were the subject of a brief story in The Baltimore Sun. (You can read it here.)
A number of things came to mind as I read the story:
- Only the professors are important. No white boards for the kids.
- An 18 x 20 inch board will not protect much of an adult's body. If one protects one's head, the torso is exposed. Cover the torso and the head is vulnerable. While the bullets are flying, the user must decide what vital body part is most important.
- The school administrators have no concept of realistic safety alternatives and obviously didn't consult someone who does.
I chatted with a couple of police officers about these boards. One asked where the board would be kept while the teacher is teaching. On the floor? All the victims at Sandy Hook were killed within a five minute time frame, the shooter going rapidly from room to room. By the time a professor reacts to what is happening and gets a board into place, the shooter has already reloaded and is moving on to the next target. The other officer pointed out that holding onto a board that is being hit by multiple bullets would be difficult. One product promotional video shows a mannequin seated in a straight-back chair while the bullets strike the board. Would a standing petite female be able to absorb the impact without dropping the board? The officer didn't think so.
School administrators have a responsibility to approach this frightening subject matter with clear-headed, unemotional thoughtfulness. Lives really do depend on their decisions and choices. Administrators need educating when it comes to safety. They must communicate with law enforcement experts who can help them prepare an appropriate plan and put that plan into action.
In other words, are bulletproof white boards saying what the university really wants to say?
Several days have passed since the shootings at Sandy Hook school. This blog is about communication or the lack of it and both certainly apply to Sandy Hook.
On Friday, we had entirely too much communication as talking heads filled air time guessing about everything from the shooter's identity to what he was wearing. Little children were pushed in front of microphones and asked to relive what they experienced. Parents sobbed as cameras sent every tear out on the airwaves. Politicians called for more and less gun control. So-called experts told us how to stay safe in the future.
After the initial rush of commentary, cooler heads are giving serious
and thoughtful consideration to many of the issues this tragedy raises. Real communication has begun as people consider what it all means. Hopefully, we will focus, not just on guns, but on all the other issues. What are they? Mental illness, school security personnel, and school preparedness to name just three.
Yesterday I tweeted this link. I draw your attention to it again because a friend, who is a school administrator, said something very similar to me when we were discussing Sandy Hook this morning. (Read the post here.) He spoke about tornado drills instead of fire drills but basically said the same thing found in the article. He added that the school board would not permit him to work up a plan.
How often have we heard
that families should have a well-rehearsed escape plan in the event a fire occurs in
their home? Such plans are just as important for schools. That why we
have fire drills. After 9-11, high rise office buildings started evacuation
drills. Perhaps Sandy Hook will bring about similar changes in our
schools.
We can no longer deny
that what happened at Sandy Hook can happen any time any place. No school
is immune. Instead of pretending these things can't happen where you
live,insist that your schools develop plans and hold drills. It's a kind of insurance that we just can't afford to do without.
So talk about it openly and honestly. Leave the politics in a closet and discuss how to better protect ourselves and our children when there is a shooter in our midst. Because, sadly, that is just as likely as a fire or a tornado.
