Our little kindergarten through eighth grade rural Gallatin County school has been assigned a School Resource Officer (SRO) from the sheriff's department. This law enforcement liaison person is warmly accepted by students and faculty, often showing up to present good safety tips regarding a number of public safety issues, but certainly including firearm safety as many here are hunters. When the SRO's patrol car is in the parking lot, the school experiences a higher degree of security felt by everyone. Unfortunately this small school does not warrant nor can afford a full time security person. Last year the school implemented a single entrance security door with the requirement for the front desk to recognize the school guest before allowing entry. When family guests, tradesmen, educational professionals, or anyone visits the school, we wear a brightly colored Gateway Gator badge to assure students and faculty that we have signed in and are authorized to be in the school. These are fairly common measures presently, but as HONEYBADGER expressed the best possible solution is constant security in the form of a school cop. Although even with continuous presence, the playground is a vulnerable setting and it's not possible to be everywhere all the time. But removing the "soft target" perception of the school setting would go a long way in discouraging those who so brazenly attack.
All of the discussion is worthwhile and obviously reflects many opinions and suggestions for solutions, but the really important thing is that we all can agree these attacks on schools are unacceptable and warrant serious remedies to stop them.
