School shootings across the country remain on the rise, but districts in New England are taking new steps to prevent these tragedies.
Boston 25 took a closer look at schools in Massachusetts to analyze how they’re stepping up security.
Security consultant Todd McGhee has worked with the Marie Philips Elementary School in Framingham for years – installing new safety measures that are often overlooked.
Unsuspecting monitors and clocks throughout the school easily disguised critical messaging systems that can flash warnings in case of emergencies.
“Short, quick communications so that the community is not wondering what in the world is going,” McGhee explained.
A longtime Mass. State Trooper, McGhee now consults critical infrastructure like airports, stations, and schools about how they can best protect those inside.
Marie Philips Elementary is just one school on the campus of the Learning Center for the Deaf.
While their challenges are different from other schools, McGhee believes they set an example for what schools across Massachusetts will soon do.
“We don’t want to fortify the schools where it looks like Fort Knox,” said McGhee. “This is just a great example where we’ve leveraged low-level technology to serve a real security function.”
Some additional changes McGhee installed were interior crash bars for doors, thumb latch locks, connecting rooms, and protective mesh in windows.
McGhee even showed construction paper to block door windows looking into classrooms.
He added, “Criminals are lazy. So, if they don’t see an opportunity, they’re going to move on.”
The security consultant also installed panic buttons across campus to notify police to an emergency as fast as possible.
“With one touch of a button, we can put the campus on lockdown,” McGhee told Boston 25. “There are messages that go directly to text messages on mobile phones, on desktops, on laptops, as well as notifying law enforcement.”
McGhee has analyzed dozens of schools and says most aren’t as up to speed as Marie Philips Elementary.
“We’re moving not at the pace that I’d like to see,” McGhee added, referencing statewide school security.
These changes at home are coming in the wake of yet another school shooting tragedy.
Two students and two teachers were killed at Apalachee High School in Georgia.
CNN reports as of November, there have already been 76 school shootings in the US. The nation is on pace to surpass any other year in history. (School shootings in the US: Fast facts | CNN)
Roughly a third of those shootings have occurred on K-12 school grounds.
While McGhee has focused on the security defense, Dr. Ron Kessler has examined the mental health crisis in adults and adolescents nationwide.
Kessler is a professor of Healthcare Policy at Harvard Medical School. He studies mental health disorders in in adults, and how they grow in children.
“The health care system in America is broken,” Kessler told Boston 25. “Many of these kids, the majority of these kids, don’t get help.”
Kessler fears disruptive, loud students are getting the most counseling in our classrooms – oftentimes not the ones who need it most.
Kessler asked, “How do you find the kid who’s that quiet kid living with extreme pain? Who is going to act out either against themselves or against others?”
He claims common mental disorders usually begin around the age of 13.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education offers mental health professional development for districts across Massachusetts.
As stated on their website, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) “offer educators guidance and support on building comprehensive school mental health systems that address the holistic needs of students.”
A full list of state programs for all districts can be found: (https://www.doe.mass.edu/sfs/mental-wellness/)
Parents in Dedham told us they hope to see mental health and security improvements in all Massachusetts districts.
“It’s a huge concern,” said Daniel Mongeon, a parent of a Dedham Middle School student. “He said, ‘Well, we have this drill today, an active shooter drill.’ And it’s presented as very commonplace. That’s concerning.”
McGhee urged districts to create transparency and easy communication to safeguard their students.
He finished, “You’re building trust and rapport with me as a parent while my children, while my child is attending the school.”
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education also provides national resources that can be found: Mental and Behavioral Health and Wellness Supports - Student and Family Support (SFS)
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