Delaware bills would mandate school safety measures

The News Journal first reported on two bills that aim to improve safety and security at Delaware schools in January 2017.

A bill that would require doors to be equipped with locks that can be locked from the inside, preventing an armed intruder from entering the room, has been in the House Appropriations committee since April.

Another bill requires all new school construction or major renovations to include the following features: an intruder alarm, bulletproof glass in entrance areas and interior doors and windows, and doors lockable with keys on both sides.

It was voted out of committee in March, and no further action has been taken.

A school shooting in Florida left 17 people dead and 15 wounded Wednesday, prompting discussions about school safety and gun control.

Read the original story on the proposed legislation below:

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Last spring, a wave of bomb threats directed at schools across the nation and in Delaware forced districts to initiate lockdown procedures and evacuate students, at the same time prompting a seemingly inevitable question in such situations — are our schools, and our children, safe?

Rep. Earl Jaques, D-Glasgow, isn't so sure they are.

"I'm surprised sometimes how easy it is for me to get into schools," Jaques said Wednesday. As chairman of the House Education Committee, he has visited plenty and says some of them are accessible via side doors, if not the front door itself.

Some school doors still open to large lobbies or hallways, which grant almost immediate access to the bulk of the building.

Not only that but "not every door on every classroom locks from the inside," he said, which during a lockdown means the teacher would have to exit the room, lock it from the outside and then shut her and her students inside.

"Which takes more time," Jaques said. "And lots of times, it's down to seconds. The difference between life and death comes down to seconds."

It's been more than five years since 26 people, 20 of them young children, were shot to death at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, and in Jaques' opinion, the state still has work to do if it wants to ensure student safety.

That is why he is sponsoring two General Assembly bills aimed at giving schools the resources they need to make substantial safety upgrades to their buildings. It's something many districts have had a hard time doing because of limited funding and high construction costs.

Though the General Assembly set aside $30,000 in 2012 to help schools develop comprehensive school safety plans, "we still have not put a lot of resources toward those plans," Jaques said, adding that funding is deeply dependent on the state's budget.

This year, however, one of Jacques' bills isn't actually budget-dependent. It simply stipulates that all new school construction or major renovation projects include the following features: an intruder alarm, bulletproof glass in entrance areas and interior doors and windows, and doors lockable with keys on both sides.

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The idea behind the bill is that by building such features into schools to begin with, districts will be saved from costly renovations down the line.

A second bill, still to be filed, would appropriate the funds needed to remodel schools that aren't already undergoing big construction projects. Jaques estimates the bill will ask for $400,000 to $500,000.

Whether or not that bill will get passed is iffy, Jaques admitted. This year the General Assembly is facing a project $350 million state budget gap — and even in terms of education funding, school safety upgrades are not the only thing on the wish list.

"It's all about money," he said. "It comes down to money."

Robert Coupe, secretary of the Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security, said in a statement Friday that, of course, the new bills would be a good step toward safer schools.

“The new construction mandates for specific safety/security equipment and design would enhance the security of any new schools," he said. "The mandated security requirements would support the goals and objectives of the Comprehensive School Safety Program."

Some school districts have already made the security upgrades on their own, dipping into their own reserves, holding referendums or applying for grants to implement them.

Among them is Red Clay Consolidated.

Over the summer, Red Clay installed secure entryways at 10 of its schools that require visitors to walk through the office before gaining admittance to the rest of the building, said spokeswoman Pati Nash.

The money was from the district's last capital referendum, which due to good financial management, allowed Red Clay to spend $3 million on the renovations.

Superintendent Merv Daugherty said safety improvements were included in the referendum, and the district budgeted its money carefully so it could make sure the upgrades were made.

"We have a big responsibility, and when parents send their children to a Red Clay school they expect us not only to educate them, but to provide a safe and secure learning environment," Daugherty said.

Other security upgrades, like increasing the number of school resource officers the district has and hiring retired police officers to serve as school constables, were also paid for with tax revenue. A recent referendum, approved in February 2015, included the costs.

"We've been very lucky at Red Clay," said Brian Moore, district supervisor of public safety.

In 2012, Red Clay received a federal grant that helped it install security cameras and intercoms, which visitors must speak into before being buzzed into the school.

Such federal grants are a rarity these days, Moore said. As is education funding in general.

"I've certainly heard from school districts that struggle to find the resources to teach any given day, let alone improve security," he said.

More and more school districts are having to go to taxpayers, which aren't always supportive, he said.

Indian River tried and failed to pass a referendum in November. Another referendum is set for March 2, and district officials say if it does not pass, they will have to make cuts to school safety programs and lay off teachers.

Moore says Indian River has adopted a program used in Red Clay and has retired police officers on its staff that serve as constables.

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If the district's referendum passes in March, eight cents of the proposed 49-cent property tax will help keep that program going.

That's something former Superintendent Susan Bunting, who was recently confirmed as state secretary of education, has said the school district needs.

“The Board of Education showed tremendous foresight four years ago by placing armed safety monitors in all of our schools," Bunting recently wrote in an article posted on the district's website. “This program has been a rousing success, and we want to maintain the quality of these services in the future ... The peace of mind our safety monitors have given students, staff and parents is invaluable."

Moore said the theories behind school safety have changed over time, which is partially why so many schools are currently pushing for changes.

After the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, schools prepared themselves for inside intruders, staff or students who wanted to harm their classmates or colleagues.

Sandy Hook changed that. The shooter, Adam Lanza, forced his way into the building — he wasn't already inside. He wasn't a student there.

Since then, schools across the country have been trying to limit access to schools.

"I think it's unfortunate that when a big event like that happens that is the outcome," Moore said. "But it does create awareness."

Months and years pass, and eventually, the call for more secure schools fades, he said. The recent series of bomb threats did provoke parents to call Moore and ask how the district responded, which is good, he said.

"But our job is to remind people that it could be tomorrow," he said. "Just because there hasn't been a fire in a school for 50 years, doesn't mean we don't have to have fire drills every month."

Which is why Moore is considering more security upgrades. He said the school district plans on reconfiguring the rest of its school entrances over the next two years and enhancing electronic security.

At some point, he hopes to combine video surveillance systems so all 400 plus of the district's video cameras can be monitored from one central location and local law enforcement can be looped into the feed.

With violence increasing, not only in Wilmington but around the country, schools just cannot be as welcoming as they used to, Moore said.

"In this day and age, we just can't afford to be that way."

Contact Jessica Bies at (302) 324-2881 or jbies@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @jessicajbies.