Having armed security guards in schools will not make a significant difference in stopping school shootings. If a shooter is intent on shooting and killing, they will find a way even with armed security guards present. Having armed security should be a part of the discussion however. Even good guys with guns in schools cannot be vigilant all of the time and they will become complacent. The percentage of school shootings in the United States is lowttp://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0777958.html statistically.
It appears that 2012 had the highest number of school shootings with the massacre that occurred in Ct elementary school in December. According to the Center for Education Reform, the chances of a K-12 school shooting in the U.S. is 1 in 53, 925. The chances of a shooting taken place in a high school in any given year is 1 in 23,000. The chances of a shooting taken in place in a U.S. elementary school in any given year is 1 in 141,463.
The question we need to ask is what is the acceptable level of risk. As far as school shootings, there is extremely little chance that your child's school will experience a shooting incident in 2013. There will probably be a few school shootings somewhere in the United States, maybe not in your city or state, but somewhere. It seems that we need to do something but having armed security guards will not be answer to the problem. Based on the statistics above, armed security guards in schools will not encounter a a active shooter.
Some alternative options to having armed security guards are making sure there is a emergency action plan in place at every school that includes active shooter scenarios and communication measures The plan must be reviewed and practiced by all employees of the school including teachers, office staff and custodians. Observation skills and recognizing suspicious behavior must be reviewed with all staff. Security in my opinion begins with the exterior perimeter and in some cases custodial staff can be a school's best defense since they are not in the classroom
School shootings are scary and have lasting effects in communities. School shootings are rare, but significant and measures need to be in place to detect and hopefully deter shootings.
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