From the BCCT.
Columbine aftereffects reach local schools
By: RACHEL CANELLI
Bucks County Courier Times
Security has been transformed in Bucks County schools. But one violence prevention group gives a grade of D+ to a $10 billion effort to improve safety in the nation's schools.
More than 10 years ago, Lou Muenker was watching a group of eighth-graders stroll into a Neshaminy school just like any other morning.
Then an administrator, Muenker noticed one of the students had a cell phone. Since mobiles were rare and prohibited in the mid-1990s, he asked the boy why he needed it.
In case my mom needs to reach me for an emergency, the young man said. Muenker light-heartedly teased back that the school already had that covered with a phone in the office.
If only life were still that simple, said Muenker, the district's acting superintendent.
"Now, I can't argue," he said. "[Having a phone] could be very valuable [in a crisis] and we have to be conscious of that."
In the aftermath of Columbine, school officials have been forced to take a step back from their assumed sense of security. When Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold walked into their Colorado high school with guns 10 years ago today, killing 13 and wounding 24, their massacre altered authorities' skewed views of safety across the country.
Administrators began implementing tougher procedures such as locked doors and surveillance cameras. They've instituted security personnel and crisis drills.
And since authorities originally thought Harris and Klebold were taking revenge on popular teens for being bullied, officials also got involved in anti-bullying plans.
Not enough
After $10 billion has been spent on security nationwide, one nonprofit says it's still not enough.
A report card on school violence and prevention by Community Matters gives America's efforts a D-plus. Even though zero-tolerance laws have been passed in more than 28 states, with at least 19 also having anti-bullying legislation, kids are bullying at younger ages and using electronics to do so, the study said.
Between 1999 and 2007, the percentage of students who didn't go to school because of safety concerns increased, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From 2000 to 2005, there was a 50 percent increase in the percentage of youth who were victims of online harassment.
What's lacking, according to the foundation, is funding and an emphasis on emotional, social and behavioral skills.
Many Bucks County school officials, though, disagreed with the grade and said they are doing everything they can to protect children.
For districts like Morrisville, Quakertown and Bensalem and schools, including Bucks County Technical High School in Bristol Township and Holy Ghost Prep in Bensalem, that has meant increasing awareness, cooperation and prevention through emergency plans, training, safety committees, and mentoring and anti-bullying programs, administrators said.
Bensalem staff also must wear ID badges, and people have one entry point only to each building, said Superintendent James Lombardo.
In Neshaminy, where officials continue to offer peer mediation, Internet safety forums and a sanctuary room for immediate intervention, visitors must be buzzed into facilities, Muenker said.
Monitoring visitors
It's a policy similar to Bristol Township's, where greeters have been hired to watch the doors and grant or deny access to the district's nine elementary schools, and monitor guests' visits, said Jim White, operations, safety, environmental and training coordinator.
Their visitors' passes also change color if people stay more than an hour. Though it's rare, greeters could spot the color changing IDs and make sure guests are where they're supposed to be and not just hanging around for no reason.
"Security has changed drastically," said White. "Years ago, when we talked about safety, we meant falling on the playground, not keeping intruders and weapons out. It was assumed and that's sad."
White said he also never dreamed that Bristol Township would own metal detectors, even if they're mostly used on suspicion and not a regular basis.
"What's dramatic and profound is that the effect of Columbine has been for every asset of education," said White. "It's almost become a part of the curriculum and as important as reading, writing and arithmetic."
But security experts say there's still always so much more schools can do - like install mass notification systems and locators into laptops.
That's what Tony Ciambrello, a senior technician for THREE sigma LLC recommends. The Morrisville-based company distributes security products, including fire alarm systems and motion detectors, to mainly higher educational institutions like Delaware Valley College.
"The concern has increased, but I'd say a D-plus is just about right for how well schools are doing," said Ciambrello. "I realize there's money involved and they're limited without alarming parents too much, but they could do more."
A basic system could start at a few thousand dollars. That would increase by several hundred with each location included and speakers for a wireless broadcast system that could transmit pre-recorded messages in emergencies, specifically on college campuses, Ciambrello said.
However, studies show that schools are still the safest place for kids, said Lombardo.
Investigators now know that the Columbine boys weren't bullied and seeking retaliation. But they also know that Klebold was suicidal and Harris had psychological problems.
It is that understanding that convinces schools like Neshaminy and Pennsbury to maintain participation in events like Challenge Day to increase tolerance and understanding, officials said.
"It's difficult to suggest that kids at all times are safe from people who want to do them harm," said Muenker. "I'm not sure what prevents it in the long run. We can only minimize by anticipating. There are no guarantees. We've just got to wake up every day, and hope that they'll be safe by the end of it."
"Years ago, when we talked about safety, we meant falling on the playground, not keeping intruders and weapons out." - Jim White, safety coordinator for Bristol Township schools
Monday, April 20, 2009
Ten years after Columbine, school security stepped up
From the Inquirer.
10 years after Columbine, school security stepped up
By Kristen A. Graham and Bonnie L. Cook, Posted on Sun, Apr. 19, 2009
Some schools have banned backpacks. Others have locked doors, installed cameras, bought metal detectors, and started disaster drills.
Ten years ago tomorrow, two teenagers killed 13 people and wounded 23 others inside Columbine High School in suburban Littleton, Colo., a massacre that forever altered the nation's school-security landscape.
"We used to just worry about drugs and alcohol, but now we're all overwhelmed by this fear that our children aren't safe in schools," said Al Hall, director of security for the Hatboro-Horsham School District.
While some national experts say schools are no safer now than they were a decade ago, educators from around the region point to new efforts to keep students out of harm's way. Among other things, they're training staffers, attending safety conferences, putting cameras on buses, and setting up emergency-notification systems.
Like many regional districts, Hatboro-Horsham has never had tragedy, but it has opted for a proactive approach - just in case. Hall's position is new, and the district also stresses security in small and large ways.
Visitors must now surrender IDs when they enter schools. Emergency plans are updated frequently. Students drill for specific events - a suspicious package found, an intruder inside the building. There's a hotline to report worrisome activity, and reminders for school staff to keep an eye out for troubled students.
"We're constantly monitoring. What are our students drawing in art class? Are they drawing a stick person with a knife stuck in, or are they drawing flowers in a field?" Hall said.
Last week, dozens of school staffers from around Montgomery County gathered in a King of Prussia conference room to hear security expert Kenneth Trump talk about the post-Columbine security landscape and answer questions about lockdown drills, safety fixes on a tight budget, and cyberbullying.
"Some people are dealing with communities that still have the philosophy 'It can't happen here,' " Trump told the educators. "There are glaring gaps, and lots of work remaining."
Just after Columbine, school safety was the hot topic, with awareness at an all-time high and money readily available.
Then came 9/11, and the nation's focus shifted to terrorism, Trump said.
These days, school security is a mixed bag, he said.
Some schools fall short, mostly at keeping safety plans updated and well-practiced, and at investing in training.
It's easy to slip on the basics - failing to enforce a universal ID policy, allowing visitors to enter a building without signing in, leaving a door unlocked by mistake.
Steven Beck, school-safety coordinator with the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety, sees that firsthand.
"At times, I still have to go out and convince school personnel that this is important, that there isn't a guarantee it won't happen in your particular location," Beck said.
But in general, Beck said, school shootings and narrow misses elsewhere have served as wake-up calls.
Locally, in 2006, a multi-student plot was averted in Winslow, and a Springfield Township student killed himself at school with an AK-47.
In 2007, a plot by a home-schooled student to kill people at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School was thwarted, and last year, a student's plan to kill individuals he did not like at Pottstown High also was averted.
Now, there's much better communication among schools and police and fire departments, Beck said.
Students are kept aware of the importance of a safe school environment and warned of tough stances on bullying.
In Radnor, Leo Bernabei, the school district's director of operations, has seen a sea change in the 30 years he's been around.
Gone is the custodian with the overflowing key ring to secure buildings; now, codes are digital. Professional security consultants are hired.
"As a parent, I would say hi to the secretary and walk right to my child's classroom," Bernabei said. "Not anymore. You have to have a background check to go deep in the building."
In Cherry Hill, staff are reminded to be on the lookout for mental-health issues, and students are schooled in stopping bullying before it starts, said Michael Nuzzo, director of security for the district.
New to the district this year is an emergency parent-notification system - should a school be locked down or evacuated, for instance, parents would get the message automatically.
"A lot of school districts are moving in that direction," Nuzzo said. "The mind-set has changed. We know a tragedy can happen any time, any place."
Urban districts have their own set of safety challenges - violence in school communities, huge buildings with dozens of doors - but Columbine still jarred Philadelphia into beefing up security measures.
"And every year, the anniversary of the event is a poignant reminder for us to focus on school safety," said James Golden, who heads that department for the Philadelphia School District.
Before Columbine, the district had metal detectors in some schools.
Afterward, it went to universal metal detection in high schools. With cameras, locked doors, and IDs, it has adopted the same strategies most suburban schools are using, Golden said.
Golden also said the district had sent more than 1,000 administrators and staff to federal emergency-preparedness training.
"They go through training as if they're first responders," he said.
In Washington Township, where voters endorsed a tax hike in 2004 for upgrades to school safety, including cameras for buses and high school hallways, Superintendent Cheryl Simone said safety was "foremost."
"Securing the building, securing the kids, is your number-one job," Simone said. "You have to do that before you can attend to your primary mission, educating kids."
School shootings during the last 10 years also have "upped the ante for the severity of discipline."
Now, zero-tolerance policies mean that a penknife on a key chain or a pair of scissors in a kindergartner's backpack equal an automatic suspension.
"It's a very different perspective," Simone said. "We do take these things seriously, at all grade levels."
Jim White, who handles security for Bristol Township schools, has seen "drastic changes" since Columbine.
From ID badges and surveillance cameras to a portable metal detector and more regular locker checks, it's a new world order, White said, with staff required to be on alert about safety.
"Teachers, the custodial staff, are constantly looking for something out of place," White said. "The guidance counselors are trying to get students to say, 'Hey, this person is a threat.' "
Children are different, too, White said - no longer innocent about the danger that's out there.
And though there was some initial parent pushback on stepped-up security measures, White said, that has faded.
"People appreciate your trying to protect their kids," he said.
10 years after Columbine, school security stepped up
By Kristen A. Graham and Bonnie L. Cook, Posted on Sun, Apr. 19, 2009
Some schools have banned backpacks. Others have locked doors, installed cameras, bought metal detectors, and started disaster drills.
Ten years ago tomorrow, two teenagers killed 13 people and wounded 23 others inside Columbine High School in suburban Littleton, Colo., a massacre that forever altered the nation's school-security landscape.
"We used to just worry about drugs and alcohol, but now we're all overwhelmed by this fear that our children aren't safe in schools," said Al Hall, director of security for the Hatboro-Horsham School District.
While some national experts say schools are no safer now than they were a decade ago, educators from around the region point to new efforts to keep students out of harm's way. Among other things, they're training staffers, attending safety conferences, putting cameras on buses, and setting up emergency-notification systems.
Like many regional districts, Hatboro-Horsham has never had tragedy, but it has opted for a proactive approach - just in case. Hall's position is new, and the district also stresses security in small and large ways.
Visitors must now surrender IDs when they enter schools. Emergency plans are updated frequently. Students drill for specific events - a suspicious package found, an intruder inside the building. There's a hotline to report worrisome activity, and reminders for school staff to keep an eye out for troubled students.
"We're constantly monitoring. What are our students drawing in art class? Are they drawing a stick person with a knife stuck in, or are they drawing flowers in a field?" Hall said.
Last week, dozens of school staffers from around Montgomery County gathered in a King of Prussia conference room to hear security expert Kenneth Trump talk about the post-Columbine security landscape and answer questions about lockdown drills, safety fixes on a tight budget, and cyberbullying.
"Some people are dealing with communities that still have the philosophy 'It can't happen here,' " Trump told the educators. "There are glaring gaps, and lots of work remaining."
Just after Columbine, school safety was the hot topic, with awareness at an all-time high and money readily available.
Then came 9/11, and the nation's focus shifted to terrorism, Trump said.
These days, school security is a mixed bag, he said.
Some schools fall short, mostly at keeping safety plans updated and well-practiced, and at investing in training.
It's easy to slip on the basics - failing to enforce a universal ID policy, allowing visitors to enter a building without signing in, leaving a door unlocked by mistake.
Steven Beck, school-safety coordinator with the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety, sees that firsthand.
"At times, I still have to go out and convince school personnel that this is important, that there isn't a guarantee it won't happen in your particular location," Beck said.
But in general, Beck said, school shootings and narrow misses elsewhere have served as wake-up calls.
Locally, in 2006, a multi-student plot was averted in Winslow, and a Springfield Township student killed himself at school with an AK-47.
In 2007, a plot by a home-schooled student to kill people at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School was thwarted, and last year, a student's plan to kill individuals he did not like at Pottstown High also was averted.
Now, there's much better communication among schools and police and fire departments, Beck said.
Students are kept aware of the importance of a safe school environment and warned of tough stances on bullying.
In Radnor, Leo Bernabei, the school district's director of operations, has seen a sea change in the 30 years he's been around.
Gone is the custodian with the overflowing key ring to secure buildings; now, codes are digital. Professional security consultants are hired.
"As a parent, I would say hi to the secretary and walk right to my child's classroom," Bernabei said. "Not anymore. You have to have a background check to go deep in the building."
In Cherry Hill, staff are reminded to be on the lookout for mental-health issues, and students are schooled in stopping bullying before it starts, said Michael Nuzzo, director of security for the district.
New to the district this year is an emergency parent-notification system - should a school be locked down or evacuated, for instance, parents would get the message automatically.
"A lot of school districts are moving in that direction," Nuzzo said. "The mind-set has changed. We know a tragedy can happen any time, any place."
Urban districts have their own set of safety challenges - violence in school communities, huge buildings with dozens of doors - but Columbine still jarred Philadelphia into beefing up security measures.
"And every year, the anniversary of the event is a poignant reminder for us to focus on school safety," said James Golden, who heads that department for the Philadelphia School District.
Before Columbine, the district had metal detectors in some schools.
Afterward, it went to universal metal detection in high schools. With cameras, locked doors, and IDs, it has adopted the same strategies most suburban schools are using, Golden said.
Golden also said the district had sent more than 1,000 administrators and staff to federal emergency-preparedness training.
"They go through training as if they're first responders," he said.
In Washington Township, where voters endorsed a tax hike in 2004 for upgrades to school safety, including cameras for buses and high school hallways, Superintendent Cheryl Simone said safety was "foremost."
"Securing the building, securing the kids, is your number-one job," Simone said. "You have to do that before you can attend to your primary mission, educating kids."
School shootings during the last 10 years also have "upped the ante for the severity of discipline."
Now, zero-tolerance policies mean that a penknife on a key chain or a pair of scissors in a kindergartner's backpack equal an automatic suspension.
"It's a very different perspective," Simone said. "We do take these things seriously, at all grade levels."
Jim White, who handles security for Bristol Township schools, has seen "drastic changes" since Columbine.
From ID badges and surveillance cameras to a portable metal detector and more regular locker checks, it's a new world order, White said, with staff required to be on alert about safety.
"Teachers, the custodial staff, are constantly looking for something out of place," White said. "The guidance counselors are trying to get students to say, 'Hey, this person is a threat.' "
Children are different, too, White said - no longer innocent about the danger that's out there.
And though there was some initial parent pushback on stepped-up security measures, White said, that has faded.
"People appreciate your trying to protect their kids," he said.
Board to vote on allowing members to phone it in
From the BCCT.
Board to vote on allowing members to phone it in
By: RACHEL CANELLI
Bucks County Courier Times
Other districts, including Council Rock, have allowed board members to participate in meetings via phone.
When it comes to a policy letting board members remotely participate in meetings, Neshaminy officials hung up and are trying again.
After debating the rule's language last month, the school board expects to vote on it during the April 28 meeting.
The process would let no more than one director per meeting call into a public board meeting and vote via phone. And each board member would be able to make such a request only once a year through the board president or superintendent, according to the policy.
Board member William O'Connor requested the guideline so he wouldn't have to miss too many board meetings for unexpected business trips. O'Connor wanted the rule to allow two directors per meeting to vote by phone twice a year.
The policy gives the board the ability to increase those numbers in the future, administrators said.
Board member Richard Eccles expressed concerns that board members would miss too many meetings. But district solicitor Thomas J. Profy III said it wouldn't count as an absence if a board member participated via phone.
Profy also said the board member participating remotely cannot be used to reach a quorum. At least five other board members must be present to hold the meeting, said Profy.
Board member William Spitz said he favors remote participation, which he believes could be monitored and adjusted to avoid abuse.
The concept already is used in some districts, including Council Rock, where a board member recently participated by phone for more than one meeting after having surgery, officials said.
And Neshaminy allowed board member Joseph Blasch to attend an executive session by phone, Blasch said.
Representatives of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association said 35 school districts across the state have adopted similar protocols.
After not allowing a councilman who was on military duty overseas to vote from his post, the Tullytown council later agreed to let members on active military duty vote by phone early last year.
But Neshaminy board member Frank Koziol argued the policy isn't necessary. By his calculations, only five votes out of more than 200 in the past few years failed due to a director's absence.
Board President Ritchie Webb said he could see why the policy might be beneficial, but he'll be voting against the policy, too, because voting over the phone doesn't allow directors to look residents in the eyes.
Board to vote on allowing members to phone it in
By: RACHEL CANELLI
Bucks County Courier Times
Other districts, including Council Rock, have allowed board members to participate in meetings via phone.
When it comes to a policy letting board members remotely participate in meetings, Neshaminy officials hung up and are trying again.
After debating the rule's language last month, the school board expects to vote on it during the April 28 meeting.
The process would let no more than one director per meeting call into a public board meeting and vote via phone. And each board member would be able to make such a request only once a year through the board president or superintendent, according to the policy.
Board member William O'Connor requested the guideline so he wouldn't have to miss too many board meetings for unexpected business trips. O'Connor wanted the rule to allow two directors per meeting to vote by phone twice a year.
The policy gives the board the ability to increase those numbers in the future, administrators said.
Board member Richard Eccles expressed concerns that board members would miss too many meetings. But district solicitor Thomas J. Profy III said it wouldn't count as an absence if a board member participated via phone.
Profy also said the board member participating remotely cannot be used to reach a quorum. At least five other board members must be present to hold the meeting, said Profy.
Board member William Spitz said he favors remote participation, which he believes could be monitored and adjusted to avoid abuse.
The concept already is used in some districts, including Council Rock, where a board member recently participated by phone for more than one meeting after having surgery, officials said.
And Neshaminy allowed board member Joseph Blasch to attend an executive session by phone, Blasch said.
Representatives of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association said 35 school districts across the state have adopted similar protocols.
After not allowing a councilman who was on military duty overseas to vote from his post, the Tullytown council later agreed to let members on active military duty vote by phone early last year.
But Neshaminy board member Frank Koziol argued the policy isn't necessary. By his calculations, only five votes out of more than 200 in the past few years failed due to a director's absence.
Board President Ritchie Webb said he could see why the policy might be beneficial, but he'll be voting against the policy, too, because voting over the phone doesn't allow directors to look residents in the eyes.
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