USA: from “panic rooms” to arming school teachers

Increasing bloody terrorist attacks on US educational institutions encourage the government to look for ways to solve the problem. One of the already used options is “panic rooms”.

After the last massacre with six dead In Tennessee, US authorities are discussing various proposals for the safety of schoolchildren, from gun control to armored panic rooms on school grounds – students could hide in them in the event of a shooting.

Ban assault rifles

Audrey Hale, who killed six people at a private school on Monday, including three children, had seven weapons and was under medical supervision due to mental health problems, according to Nashville police. Explosive cocktail… The two assault rifles and pistol used by the 28-year-old at Covenant School were purchased legally, along with the rest of her arsenal, says Nashville Police Chief John Drake.

For some, the fact that the attackers legally acquired weapons confirms the need to phase out assault rifles, weapons of war often used in mass attacks. Joe Biden, who has long called for such a ban, reiterated his call for Congress to pass legislation without delay. Some in Nashville agree with the president. For example, 44-year-old Chad Baker says:

“Most of the time I carry a pistol with me, but I don’t need an assault rifle.”

But since the lower house of Congress, the House of Representatives, is in the hands of the Republicans, Biden’s call has so far fallen on deaf ears. Republicans habitually argue that gun control violates the constitutional right to bear arms.

Panic rooms and metal detectors

There are currently more than 400 million weapons in circulation in the United States, and many schools, without relying on the government, are improving school security on their own. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 97% of schools control access to their buildings, and 57% control access to the outside of the establishment.

However, the bloody attacks continue, and many institutions are fortifying their campuses. The latest study published in the New York Times found that schools spend billions of dollars a year to strengthen protection against fatal attacks. Metal detectors are in great demand. According to NCES data, between 10% and 15% of schools are equipped with detectors. Over 90% of schools have installed surveillance cameras and others have high-tech alarm systems installed.

Armored “panic rooms” are being installed in some schools in Arkansas and Alabama. In the event of an attack on a school or a tornado, children can safely hide in bulletproof transforming rooms – in a matter of seconds, the blackboard turns into a “body armor” for students. The whole class can hide behind armored walls. The local company KT Security Solutions became the developer of systems in two schools in Alabama. Equipping two rooms cost $120,000. Perhaps soon such classes will appear throughout the country.

What parents and experts think about safety measures

Stacey Wilford, 41, a nurse whose daughter goes to a school in close proximity to the one where the latest attack took place, said on Monday the school had sent a message to parents that classroom doors would now be locked during class. She commented on the innovation, referring to her daughter:

“She told me, ‘Mom, I will be afraid to go to the bathroom at my school. It’s a long way.”

With each new attack on children, some gun advocates make a rather controversial proposal to arm school personnel on the grounds that it acts as a deterrent. Texas security officer Chuck Chadwick expressed disappointment that the Nashville school, like most private schools, does not have armed guards:

“It’s like the administration doesn’t want guns on campus, and that’s okay until something happens.”

Tennessee Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn has proposed recruiting retired military and police officers to be used in schools across the country. In 2019, Florida passed a law allowing state teachers to carry guns in the classroom, following another school shooting a year earlier.

Opponents of the measure warned that it would be an undue burden on teachers. Having more guns on school property increases the risk of harm and there is no guarantee that this measure will stop would-be criminals, writes CNN Greece.

Last year alone, there were 177 gun attacks in U.S. schools, according to the Everytown for Gun Safety Statistics Center. As a result, 57 people were killed and 148 people were injured, mostly children …

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