This kind of thing spreads like wildfire – back-to-school security concerns + national retail chain + media coverage. And once the money is spent and the decision has been publicized, it’s extremely hard to change direction. I know that school administrators have the best intentions when it comes to security, but they may not consider all of the potential side-effects of choosing alternative methods.
While the buckets described in these news reports may give the school district a feeling of security, there are much better ways to proactively address security concerns without sacrificing life safety. One news report said these buckets are going into more than 1,000 classrooms in the Brockton Public Schools. What about other towns that hear about the plan and want to follow suit?
Hammering the wedge under the door will make evacuation much more difficult, and will prevent authorized entry. Clothesline to tie the hardware? Duct tape to prevent smoke from coming in around the door? Solutions to address these risks have been available for decades. Why are we substituting duct tape?
What can be done to help schools see the potential problems before someone gets hurt??
A school system is equipping classes with kits to use in case of lockdowns, shootings – WCVB 5
What’s dropped in these buckets could save Brockton student lives – The Enterprise
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Things like this just make me so upset. Where in the WORLD is the teacher going to store this even? Under the teacher’s desk where students can get to the hammer? In a locked closet that she needs a key to open? Or take everything out of the bucket and put them in miscellaneous locations to try to keep kids from hitting another with a hammer, duct taping friends to a wall, or attempting to strangle him/herself with the rope? Ignore codes for two seconds and think about these things. I’m just glad my kids don’t go there. Has the AHJ responded yet?