Schools develop safety strategies

By Se'Quia Bailey
January 23, 2013

Your parents kiss you goodbye in hopes that in a few hours they will see you later. For the children at Sandy Hook Elementary School alongside faculty, when their families said goodbye they had no idea that it would be for the last time.

After events that took place in suburban Connecticut, the main question for teachers, students and specifically parents is “what about my child’s school?”
School safety has always been important to people; however, an event such as the Connecticut shooting does place a high alert on citizens. Local colleges and high schools such as Eastern University, Valley Forge Military Academy and College, Radnor High School and Archbishop John Carroll High School have discussed school safety in light of the recent shooting.

The Radnor community came together on Jan. 9 for a meeting to discuss school safety and safety in the community in case of emergency. What actions to be taken in the event of an emergency were discussed, and other topics included healing and counseling should an event take place.

“You can never be too safe,” Jim Corkery, assistant principal of student services at Archbishop Carroll, said. “Someone that you think is carrying a simple delivery could very well be carrying a gun. You can only hope that the policies and plans that are in action are safe enough to not have to worry.”

Archbishop Carroll, only 1.5 miles away from Cabrini, has a safety plan unlike others in the area. The school has a system where no one has access to the building unless they have an identification card. Each I.D. card works for specific doors to the building and all doors are completely locked until the end of the school day.

In complete contrast. at Radnor High, there is a specific door guests can simply walk in and be escorted to the main office for further direction. Students have specific directions on how to enter the building, but it isn’t as secure as Archbishop Carroll.

From elementary school through high school, lock-ins are practiced in order to keep students and faculty safe in case of an intruder. During a lock-in, the principal is instructed to contact Central District Office and Radnor Township Police immediately. This was a policy discussed at the meeting on January 9. The Radnor Police then send notification to each school in and around that district for safety. Those other schools then place their schools on lock-down or send out text alerts.

It is important that you as a student and a community member feel a strong sense of security. Here at Cabrini College, lives are not at risk in the event of a situation. Public Safety is available to answer any questions on procedures and safety policy so that you can feel secure. It is their obligation to give you any type of information to you and your family on these policies, from safety response time to campus crime statistics and anything else. There are also links on Radnor Township’s website with information that can help with instructions on what should be done if facing traumatic situations. You can sign up for text alerts from Cabrini College through their website as well.

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Se'Quia Bailey

Hello, My name is Se'Quia Bailey I am a double major in Criminology and Communication. I have been a staff writer for the Loquitur newspaper for two years and co-lifestyles editor for one year. I am the manager of the Women's basketball team at Cabrini College as well as a Student Ambassador. I devote time to community service as well.

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