When active shooter drills aren’t enough, local school district ramps up security

It’s the sad reality of our nation, schools zones becoming danger zones.

Safe spaces, like schools, now have to worry about the possibility of an active shooter at any moment.

According to the New York Times, after Sandy Hook in 2012, more than 400 people have been shot in over 200 school shootings.

This sense of danger and fear is why the Crane Elementary School District is willing to invest over a million dollars into upgrading its facilities’ safety and security strategies.

CFO of Crane Elementary School District, Dale Ponder, said the district plans to implement single point entry systems where all visitors have to enter through the main entrance.

There’s also a proposal to convert from a manual-based to a technology-based mass communication system that could cohesively alert schools, parents, and law enforcement in the event of an emergency lockdown. This also involves sending updates to their websites.

Additionally, Crane intends to install ballistic glass on all doors and windows, to further protect their buildings and classrooms in the event of an active shooting.

But currently, the district is piloting a new visitor management system as of May 2019 at Rancho Viejo Elementary and Centennial Middle School.

Ponder broke down the system saying, “The individual comes into the school, and presents a government-issued I.D. to the clerk. The clerk would then run it against the database for sexual predators and those who might be sex offenders.”

He added, “We’re looking at a number of different creative and innovative ways to be able to continue to provide safety, but keeping the environment somewhat welcoming and encouraging for students and staff too.”

The district would like to hire armed security guards, but due to lack of funding, they aren’t able to at this time.

In the meantime, Crane has partnered with a national security consultant, Jesus Villahermosa, to learn how to prevent school violence.

Ponder hopes to have a streamlined security system throughout the Crane Elementary School District by the 2019-2020 school year.