Chicagoland

Schools examine security after Conn. Tragedy

By Michelle Martin | Staff writer
Sunday, January 20, 2013

Schools examine security after Conn. Tragedy

As students returned to Catholic schools in January, they returned to buildings where principals and staff had taken a fresh look at school security, according to Dominican Sister M. Paul McCaughey, superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Principal Dan Gargano talks with Bea Sansone near the security system at St. Thecla School, 6323 N. Newcastle, on Jan.14. Gargano told the Catholic New World that the school's lock down plans have been reviewed for compliance with the Illinois state standards and by Chicago police. (Karen Callaway / Catholic New World)
Mecca Sadler, a parent coming to pick up her sick child, rings the bell to be buzzed in through main doors at St. Thecla School on Jan.14. Entrance is not granted until the secretary identifies the person at the door through a camera and speaker. (Karen Callaway / Catholic New World)
Mecca Sadler, a parent coming to pick up her sick child, rings the bell to be buzzed in through main doors at St. Thecla School on Jan.14. Entrance is not granted until the secretary identifies the person at the door through a camera and speaker. (Karen Callaway / Catholic New World)

As students returned to Catholic schools in January, they returned to buildings where principals and staff had taken a fresh look at school security, according to Dominican Sister M. Paul McCaughey, superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of Chicago.

However, since all the schools have long had emergency plans in place for a number of contingencies, it’s unlikely that students noticed many changes, Sister M. Paul said.

Each school is required to have plans to keep students safe not only during fires and tornadoes, but also for “active shooters,” Sister M. Paul said, and those plans all have been reviewed following the Dec. 14 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

In that shooting, a 20-year-old man killed 20 first-graders and six school staff members before killing himself. He also shot his mother to death at their home before his attack at the school.

“We will continue to keep our kids as safe as we can,” Sister M. Paul said. “And we’ll keep updating the safety plans we have. You can’t be cowed by violence. You have to be as gentle as a dove and as wise as a serpent.”

All principals and many other school staff members have had extensive training on what to do in the case of an active shooter in their buildings, she said, and they will continue to get updated training.

“Every building must be looked at to be sure that it is the right response,” she said.

Several Catholic school principals were reluctant to discuss specific security measures because they believe their plans are more effective if they are not public. However, newer school buildings, such as Old St. Mary’s, incorporate design elements such as having only one entrance accessible to the public.

At St. Thecla School, 6323 N. Newcastle, there are multiple entrances, but all are kept locked, said Principal Dan Gargano. Visitors must come to the main entrance, which has an intercom system and video camera.

After saying who they are and why they are there, visitors can be buzzed in, Gargano said. The door leads into a vestibule area with one set of doors — kept locked during school — that lead to the gym and another set that leads right to the school office.

Catholic schools in the archdiocese not only must have plans in place, they must invite local police to review them before the beginning of every school year, Sister M. Paul said.

Some principals said they are asking their local police for additional meetings, just to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Gargano said the lockdown plans at St. Thecla have been reviewed for compliance with the Illinois state standards and by Chicago police.

At least one suburban police department said it would review all of its school emergency plans and schedule increased patrols around schools as students returned from their Christmas vacations.

Sister M. Paul said Catholic schools also must have a system in place to communicate with parents in case of an emergency.

“This is their child that they are entrusting to us,” she said.

Those plans include basic steps that have been in place for a very long time, including having all visitors and volunteers sign in and wear identification, and newer steps, including emergency drills for what to do if an intruder turns violent.

“You can have all the plans in the world, but they don’t mean anything unless you practice them,” she said.

Schools work hard to keep students calm during drills. At St. Thecla, Gargano said, one kindergarten parent told him that her daughter told her about the drill, and said her teacher made the students feel secure by explaining that it was her job to keep the students safe.

“Our students know their teachers are there to protect them,” he said.

Sister M. Paul cautioned that the best plans in the world cannot stop an attack like Sandy Hook. Indeed, she said, at Sandy Hook, “they did everything right.”

The school had a system to buzz visitors in and plans for locking classrooms and getting students out of sight. The principal died trying to disarm the shooter.

“We can make our schools fortresses and maybe we should, but most of the time our schools are extensions of our homes,” Sister M. Paul said. “In public places where there is access there is always going to be a risk.”

While the schools will continue to follow national and state guidelines on security, the culture as a whole must turn against violence for children to be safe.

“What has inured us to violence?” she asked. “Do we all have a share in this culture? How did we make violence an outlet? Just as you can facilitate goodness and kindness, you can facilitate violence.”

Sister M. Paul said she is not in favor of the idea of arming school staff. Being able to use a gun safely and effectively takes so much training, she said, that it would make much more sense to hire qualified security guards in situations where they are called for.

“There are more people killed by stupid gun accidents,” she said, explaining why she is not in favor of having more guns in school. “I just feel that will proliferate the problem.”

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