Gonkafied's 10 Point Plan for Safer Schools

1: Do away with the Gun-Free School Zone policy. It only labels the schools as soft, viable targets for terrorists and murderers. Allow citizens to legally enter schools carrying concealed firearms. Disallowing law abiding citizens from exercising their right to protect themselves on campus will not hinder someone intent on breaking that law by committing a violent attack. Repeal the Gun-Free School Zone Act.

2: Establish education and training programs focused on instructing teachers, teacher's aids and parents the skills needed to counter active shooter attacks. Pre-attack indicators and pre-incident intervention strategies should be taught as a basic skill set to educators and parents. This can be conducted completely tax free through private institutions that already maintain advanced curriculum on the subject.

3: Institute practice drills and simple education to teach students how to behave in an emergency. Teach children about cover, concealment and how to move away from danger. Danger of all types. Danger Class.

4: Institute a "School Guardian" program that utilizes volunteer parents and community mentors to act as undercover protectors and supervisors in the schools. The policies should not be police oriented but rather a protector and mentor program that increases community involvement in our schools. These are volunteers. This will not cost the tax payer.

5: Institute mandatory college course level training and e-learning programs for educators to gain basic protection skills for maintaining the safety and security of children. This is a basic skill that should be prioritized if these educators are the temporary custodians of our children everyday. It is unacceptable for teachers to be without these skills.

6: All schools should have a "Guardian Greeter" that can screen individuals as they approach the school entrances. These individuals need not be armed although it would be a more advantageous situation if they are. The primary focus of these greeters should be observing human behavior and potential dangerousness. They should be trained in the warning signs of attack and pre-incident indicators. The private sector can handle this training and would be more than happy to provide it. Individuals interested in working as a greeter should pay for the training and put it on their résumé. Again tax free.

7: Prioritize school protection at ALL police agencies. Schools contain our most valuable assets. Tiny vessels of our future. Serve and protect the children first and foremost. Increase patrols. Prioritize active shooter response strategies. Law enforcement agencies should brief every teacher at the beginning of every school year on new strategies and department response policies. Always have a school resource officer on duty at all schools. These officers should be experts at interacting with children and serve as mentors and protectors to the children. Not prison guards and disciplinarians. The children should be treated as children. Not prisoners or criminals. This should be an advanced level position and school resource officers should dress accordingly. Patrol uniform is not suitable for this duty. The school resource officer should resemble the other educators in the school.

8: Increase SWAT on Patrol teams at all police departments. All officers should have the ability to respond to an active shooter incident with a long rifle and other appropriate shooter intervention tools. School Security should be the #1 priority for our law enforcement agencies. 

9: Talk to children about their friends and the other kids at school. Do not ignore the signals and warning signs. The cries for help. Talk to the children about their problems and fears. 

10: Love your children. Love your fellow man. Love.

None of these suggestions depend on enacting more gun control, eradicating freedom, using tax dollars for funding or institutionalizing mentally ill people without due process or taking away their human rights.

Gonkafied
Bryan M. Seaver