Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
A new report released by the Pennsylvania State Police says schools in the state are vulnerable to attacks.
The state police released its comprehensive School Safety Report for public and private schools earlier this month. Aside from identifying weaknesses in school security, the report outlines safety guidelines that can “assist school districts in creating a culture where our schools and children are safe,” according to a press release.
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“A key mission of the Pennsylvania State Police is to identify and reduce vulnerabilities of the commonwealth to terrorist attacks and to minimize damage should such an attack occur – we accomplish this task through various means, including the service of Risk and Vulnerability Assessments,” State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan said.
The report addresses roles and responsibilities, school security forces, access controls, lock down and evacuation procedures, and family reunification, media and communications. State police in the report recommend schools have security guards patrol hallways, install cameras systems and hold lock-down drills at least twice during the school year.
Pennsbury, Neshaminy and Harry S. Truman high schools all have security measures including unarmed guards in place. All the area districts work closely with local law enforcement.
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“Many schools are vulnerable to violent intruders entering the building with a weapon and causing harm to the occupants. A secondary threat to the school is the introduction of a portable explosive device into the building to cause mass casualties,” the report said.
State police outlined several school shootings that happened between 1966 and 2012 in the report. Data charts in the presentation show 17 percent of active shooter incidents in the past 11 years have taken place at educational facilities.
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The report was developed by the arms of the state police that asses terrorism threats throughout the state.
“The devastating events that took place at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, stand as a continual reminder of our need for vigilance in protecting our commonwealth’s critical infrastructure and key resources,” Noonan said.
State police officials inspected hundreds of schools and used that data to make the report. A similar report was prepared and provided to college and univserity officials in 2008.
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The School Safety Report is available to view on the Pennsylvania State Police or by clicking here.
