Written By: Brad Campbell | September 9, 2024
Another school shooting took place at Georgia's Apalachee High School on September 4th, 2024, resulting in the tragic deaths of four students and teachers and injuries to nine others. This was at least the 23rd school shooting to take place in an American school in 2024 and, sadly, likely won’t be the last.
While Apalachee High School’s security measures resulted in the quick apprehension of the active shooter, they were unable to fully mitigate the loss of life and injury, underscoring the need for increased security measures in schools across the U.S., especially physical security measures.
The Apalachee High School shooting was carried out by a lone gunman, a 14-year-old student at the school, who got up and left one of their classes during the morning of September 4th, only to return with an AR-style assault rifle, which they then used to kill and injure students and staff.
The active shooter first tried to gain access to a locked classroom, but a student saw that they were armed and declined to open the door. The shooter then opened fire on another classroom.
At some point during the initial moments of the active threat incident, multiple teachers used wearable panic buttons built into their IDs to initiate a lockdown alert to the authorities, who quickly responded and apprehended the suspect.
Apalachee High School’s emergency planning and lockdown procedures and the fast response of law enforcement, including school resource officers, likely prevented loss of life and injury on a much larger scale.
However, the fact that two students and two teachers still lost their lives, and nine other individuals sustained injuries, shows that schools need to implement even more robust security measures to protect against active threats.
To protect against active threats like the one at Apalachee High School, schools need to prioritize the implementation of physical security measures, specifically access denial solutions.
While emergency planning and rapid response systems are crucial, they often aren't enough to prevent casualties once an active shooter has breached the building. Schools must focus on fortifying their physical infrastructure, particularly through the use of forced entry-resistant and even bullet-resistant security glazing.
Security glazing solutions, such as Riot Glass, can be a vital line of defense in active threat situations. These advanced glazing systems are designed to resist shattering or breaking even under extreme force, including ballistic impacts, making it significantly more difficult for a shooter to gain entry into classrooms or other secure areas.
Many schools are now installing glass walls and doors to create secure "pods" within their buildings. These pods are designated safe areas where students can retreat and lock themselves in during an emergency. Instead of standard glass, schools are opting for Riot Glass ballistic-grade glass, which offers enhanced protection against a ballistic and/or forced entry attack. Additionally, the framing around these pods is reinforced to withstand potential attacks, providing an extra layer of security in the event of a shooter attempting to breach the pod.
The schools should still protect ground level exterior building envelope glass to protect against outsiders, but the pods are now being implemented to protect against students already inside the school. This is the result of analytics pointing to a large number of these incidents being perpetrated by students enrolled and with access to the school they are attacking.
By preventing or delaying forced entry, security glazing solutions provide invaluable time for students and faculty to remain safe while giving law enforcement more time to respond to and neutralize the threat.
In addition to retrofitting existing windows and doors with security glazing, schools should consider upgrading doors and entryways with stronger locking mechanisms and adding barriers, such as additional doors reinforced with security glazing, in hallways and between different areas of the school. These extra access denial barriers can further deter or slow down an intruder.
Combined with comprehensive training for staff and students on lockdown procedures and the use of emergency alert systems, these physical security hardening measures can create a much safer environment in schools.
The tragic events at Apalachee High School highlight the importance of continuously assessing and upgrading school security measures.
While no solution can completely eliminate the risk of violence, investing in physical security systems can significantly reduce the likelihood of such incidents resulting in loss of life.
As schools across the nation grapple with the reality of these threats, it's essential that they adopt stronger security protocols to better protect students and educators.
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