So using this logic - we need to have an armed guard in every pre-school - day care, after care/school program - the Y's , Boys & Girls clubs (by the way trying to keep kids AWAY form violence) - shall I go on. Have we lost our ever-lovin minds. Is this what we teach our kids - that the first reaction should be return violence.

God Save Us from our fear and paranoia of each other and the "different". And from people who want "less" government and that we need to fear our own government who is paying for all this - them?

Wayne LaPierre is a bad guy.

To place armed guards in school is the irresponsible response by the NRA leadership that is out of touch with the majority of its membership ,not to mention the rest of the country. This will do nothing to solve the problem of gun violence in our society. An armed guard more than likely would become the first victim on a crazed gunman determined to kill

What Mr. LaPierre fails to admit is that the availability of guns and ammunition IS at least part of the problem. If we continue to give sick people access to deadly force then we will need to arm our teachers.

And how well would it work? Who would protect the guards? The video games - training tools - these killers use is another common thread. These games are nearly identical to those used by special forces. Some of these killers have shown incredible "skill". Certainly someone recognized as a guard would be the first target.

When trained and armed police confronted a gunman in midtown Manhattan earlier this year, the several bystanders shot were all shot by police. Certainly the police did the best they or anyone could have done. Would a school teacher do better?

We need to get a handle on the core of the problem. Less violence in our media. And yes, a bit less freedom when it comes to firearms. If I bought a few too many bags of fertilizer the FBI would be at my door in no time. But it seems anyone can buy 6000 rounds of ammo and body armor. Background checks need to be better. Gun and ammunition sales need to be tracked looking for patterns. The signs leading up to these acts need to be better read by our teachers and mental health professionals. The tools are available to us. We need to use them. Or we will have to put our lives in the hands of people like Mr. LaPierre.

We do not need armed policemen in schools. Teach children to "use your words".

The main reason that we have to address "assault weapons " i n our "unprotected schools" is the NRA and the bizarre misinterpetrtaion of the Suprmeme Court of the 2nd amendment.
There us no reasonable justification for civilians to have access to military weapons.There is ,in fact no reasonable justification for producing or marketing such instruments of death; only a strange and irrational paranoid vision of the world .The profit of arms manufacturers,"merchants of death" is what drives NRA's irrational and paranoid utterances....what a strange and nutty situation that primitive and irratioanal fascination with guns rules a civiilzed nation in the 21st century

Until someone comes up with a better idea, one that can be implemented immediately, Id like to take the NRA's advice. Add bullet proof glass to that too. Every school function or any function I've ever attended at a school or other public venue has a police presence. I believe that cowards who would harm innocent children would think twice before approaching a situation where they know there is a police presence.
Ironically no one was allowed to leave their seats in the Newtown High auditorium until the President was safely away. Give our kids the same advantage that the pols have.

It is rich that the N.R.A.'s solution would allow the gun industry to make billions of dollars on all the weapons bought to "protect" schools. I think that if they want that solution, they should fund it 100%. They should pay the for the guns, the training and the salaries of every security guard in every school in the United States.

Bloomberg has this one exactly right. While the adults are arguing, the children are worrying. The only thing that will make them feel safe is stopping the sale and circulation of dangerous guns and ammunition. Please support a heartfelt 9-year-old's plea: http://www.change.org/petitio...

The doors that protect a school's computer equipment are more secure than the doors to the classrooms. There is no way to hide all of the children in our overcrowded classes. A bad guy can easily see children huddled in the back of classrooms because our classes have many more students than the suburbs. Chancellor Walcott is deceiving the public when he says schools are safer than ever. The fact is a shooter such as Adam Lanza will be able to see teachers and students cowering in the back of their classrooms. So turning out the lights, locking the door and attempting hide will be futile in the event of a real intruder looking for victims. It's time for all of the loved ones of those in NYC public schools to start asking the hard questions. Why is computer equipment better secured than the people in the schools?

CEC 31 Resolution follows this letter
In light of the recent events in Newtown, the parents who sit on CEC 31 are as concerned as everyone about school safety. There is a lot of talk in the media about “guns in schools”, and mistakenly many of the reports say that CEC 31 is proposing placing armed guards in schools.

After mulling over different options, we have come up with a few ideas that we think deserve to be discussed and considered by the NYC Department of Education and have put those suggestions into a resolution.

Our proposals are not about placing guns in schools, they are about the safety of everyone inside our school buildings. We think that our schools should have security cameras and a buzz-in system so that no one can just walk into a school without being approved by a safety agent. We think that retired police officers could be assigned to schools so that a trained law enforcement officer can protect our children and school staff. The entire City of New York depends on our police force every day and rightly so, since it is among the best in the nation.

Some of our proposals are already included in the DoE's Building Response Team (BRT) plan which has still not been fully implemented after 3 years: (http://schools.nyc.gov/docume...).

The DoE BRT plan includes:
BRTs will usually consist of 5 members who are school employees chosen by the principal.
BRT members are trained to collect and provide accurate information on an incident but BRT members are NOT first responders.
Integration of technology including weather notification systems, Entry Identification Systems, Video Surveillance Systems (IPDVS), Communication Systems
Creation of a Communications Control/ Emergency Information Center (CCC/ EIC)
BRT plan system wide roll-out in schools - September 2009

Unfortunately, DoE has not lived up to their written commitments in the BRT plan. Where are the “entry identification systems” and the “video surveillance systems” promised for our school buildings? What could possibly be wrong with including parents in the conversation about protecting our schools? When anyone tries to enter DoE headquarters at Tweed, they must pass armed officers and magnetometers - visitors must pass through enhanced security to get into any city-owned buildings – why not school buildings?

So far, the Mayor and the Chancellor are not having this conversation with parents. In fact, the following statement was given to WABC News regarding our CEC 31 proposed resolution:
Ø “CECs don’t have any statutory duties regarding school safety and we are not considering their proposal.” – Statement by NYC Department of Education

Parents, ask your children the difference between a “hard lockdown” and a “soft lockdown”. You may be surprised that they already know under the DoE General Response Protocol (GRP) students are learning (http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdo...). Our children are being taught to hide under school desks or in classroom closets if there is a threat at their school. They are being taught how to get out of “line of sight”. What is less traumatic, teaching a 7-year old child what “line of sight” means and then telling them to hide in a closet – or for the child to pass by someone in their school who is dressed like a teacher and happens to be a retired police officer?

Some of our proposals are similar to a federal program established 13 years ago, after the tragedy at Columbine H.S., called “COPS In Schools”: http://articles.latimes.com/2.... Under that plan, former President Clinton unveiled $60 million in funding for a Justice Department program to help pay the costs of placing police officers in schools to make them safer for students and teachers.
Ø "Already, “COPS In Schools” has placed 2,200 officers in more than 1,000 communities across our nation, where they are heightening school safety as well as coaching sports and acting as mentors and mediators for kids in need," Clinton said in April, 2000.

Our CEC resolution is not about adding guns to schools; it is about common-sense safety measures that will make our schools safer – like panic buttons and camera/buzzer systems – which we believe are important.

We are doing this because we know everyone benefits from enhanced security in schools. As parents, we should be a part of the conversation about school safety.

Community Education Council 31 will be introducing and discussing the following safety & security Resolution/Plan @ our next meeting January 7 - 6:30 pm @ Petrides Complex, 715 Ocean Terrace, Building A - Room 118A, Staten Island, NY 10301

Resolution #76 - CEC 31 RECOMMENDS INSTALLATION OF “BUZZER” ENTRY SYSTEMS WITH VIDEO AND “PANIC BUTTONS” AT MAIN ENTRANCES TO NYC PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDINGS AND IMPLEMENT THE USE OF RETIRED NYPD POLICE OFFICERS TO SUPPLEMENT SCHOOL SECURITY PERSONNEL


WHEREAS, recent concerns have been raised by Council members, parents, teachers, students, law enforcement personnel, education officials and advocates regarding security in NYC public schools; and
WHEREAS, current public school security consists of unarmed, uniformed New York Police Department (NYPD) school safety agents, with most NYC elementary schools having only one (1) school safety agent assigned; and
Whereas, current public school entry procedures allow individuals to enter school buildings through an unlocked door at the main entrance, with the first point of visitor verification at the security desk - located beyond the entrance, inside the school building - where visitors are required to show identification; and
Whereas, Community Education Council 31 (CEC 31) believes that school safety agents should have the opportunity to view a person requesting entry before the visitor gains access to any part of the building; and
WHEREAS, CEC 31 believes a “buzzer” entry system with video camera, video capture for future recognition and “panic buttons” directly linked to NYPD dispatchers would offer an additional layer of security for our schools and provide valuable lead-time to alert emergency personnel of a potential critical incident; therefore
BE IT RESOLVED that CEC 31 requests that the Department of Education (DOE) install “buzzer” entry systems with video camera, video capture and “panic buttons” in NYC public school buildings; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that CEC 31 requests the NYPD and the DOE to evaluate and implement the following proposal designating retired NYPD police officers as “special patrolmen” to supplement current security personnel in NYC public schools.

A Proposal for the NYPD and DOE to Enhance Security in NYC Public School Buildings

Recent events have raised concerns about security in schools throughout the nation. Several school districts across the country have implemented the use of armed security guards to minimize the threat of potential shootings in schools.

CEC 31’s proposal would allow the NYC Department of Education the ability to hire retired NYC police officers as armed “special patrolmen”. These “special patrolmen” will specifically be assigned to enhance school security against potentially violent and armed threats and will NOT be involved in routine school disciplinary matters. These special patrolmen will have peace officer status.

The New York City Police Commissioner has the authority to designate qualified individuals as “Special Patrolmen” under the New York City Administrative Code, Section 14-106 (e) which states that “the NYC Police Commissioner under the application by any agency or public authority may appoint special patrolman for duty performed anywhere in the city for the agency or public authority.”

This initiative will require hiring approximately 300 – 500 retired NYC police officers, who are licensed to carry concealed firearms. The NYC Department of Education will grant, in writing, authorization for these special patrolmen to carry concealed firearms on school property. These retired officers will fall under the direct supervision of the NYPD School Safety Division. The retired police officers will be assigned on a rotating basis to schools throughout New York City. (The program could be expanded to assign a “special patrolman” to every NYC public school building – approximately 1,000 school buildings.)

Suggested Rules and Regulations for the Program:
Administrative Code section 14-106 mandates that the special patrolmen MUST comply with the orders of the NYPD Commissioner and the rules of the New York City Police Department.
The NYC Department of Education will pay the special patrolmen as an independent contract employee via a 1099. This payment system is similar to the Off-Duty Employment Program that currently exists for active NYPD members.
Retired NYC police officers assigned as special patrolmen to the Department of Education will be required to file a 211 or 212 pension waiver, if necessary.

The DOE isn't qualified to supervise people with guns. Check out this story about a principal who traumatized childrn - now DOE is covering it up: http://www.dailykos.com/story...#