>>Following the death of seventeen people during a school shooting
IN PARKLAND, FLORIDA CONNECTIGN POINT IS TAKING A LOOK AT SCHOOL SAFETY
AND SECURITY IN THIS REGION WE START IN THE LARGEST SCHOOL
DISTRICT IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS, SPRINGFIELD I SPOKE WITH SPRINGFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT
DANIEL WARWICK AND SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBER LATONIA
MONROE-NAYLOR I BEGAN BY ASKING NAYLOR HOW SHE HANDLED NEWS
OF THE TRAGEDY WITH HER OWN CHILDREN
>>SO I HAVE FOUR CHILDREN,UM ONE ACTUALLY TWO OF THEM IN MIDDLE SCHOOL TWO OF THEM
IN ELEMENTARY AND SO THE INITIAL RESPONSE WAS LIKE OH MY GOODNESS LIKE I CANNOT BELIEVE
THIS HAPPENED UM AND SO WE JUST START TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS
ABOUT ARE YOU FEELING SAFE IN SCHOOL OR WHAT DO YOU THINK
IS HAPPENING AND THE WONDERFUL THING THAT I WAS GLAD TO HEAR WAS THAT THEY FEEL
SAFE THEY FEEL LIKE THE SCHOOLS ARE DOING WHAT
THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING TO PROTECT THEM
UH THEY TALKED ABOUT THE DRILLS THAT THEY HAVE
AND DIFFERENT THINGS THAT THEY DO UH SECURITY WISE TO MAKE SURE THAT IF SOMETHING
DID EVER HAPPEN THEY WOULD KNOW WHAT TO DO
AND HOW TO RESPOND >>AND SO THEY FEEL LIKE THEY ARE EMPOWERED
AROUND THAT >> THEY DO, THEY DO AND SO REALLY
THEY'RE EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THE COVERSATION BUT THEY
ALSO FELT GOOD KNOWING THAT EVEN BEFORE THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED
THAT THEY HAD ALREADY BEEN YOU KNOW PRACTICING THIS FOR...AT LEAST A YEAR
I KNOW OF THAT THEY'VE BEEN DOING THIS IN THEIR SCHOOL SO IT'S GOOD TO
KNOW THAT WE'RE NOT BEING REACTIVE WE'RE LOOKING AT A SITUATION AND SAYING
OK WELL WHAT CAN WE DO NOW THAT THIS HAPPENED?
IT'S LIKE OK, WE ALREADY STARTED LET'S REALLY LOOK AT THINGS AND
SAY WHAT CAN WE DO BETTER JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE REALLY
MAKING SURE WE'RE DONE ALL OF OUR Is AND CROSSING OUR Ts.
>> AS TEACHERS AS STAFF CAME BACK INTO THE 60 SCHOOLS WITHIN
SPRINGFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT.
>> THIS CREATE SENSE OF URGENCY AROUND ENTIRE COUNTRY THERE'S
LOT OF DISCUSSION, MAKE PEOPLE FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE.
PEOPLE FEEL UNEASY.
I THINK ADVANTAGE WE HAVE IN SPRINGFIELD WE'VE HAD VERY
PRO-ACTIVE APPROACH TO THIS ISSUE.
FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS AND PUT LOT OF THINGS IN PLACE TO MAKE
PEOPLE FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE.
A COUNTRY NOT FEELING REALLY GOOD ABOUT IT.
>> ON ANY GIVEN DAY IN THE SPRINGFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOL
DISTRICT THE LARGEST DISTRICT IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS, PUBLIC
SCHOOLS, 30,000 PEOPLE WHETHER THAT'S 26,000 STUDENTS OR ABOUT
4,000 STAFF LIKE I SAID ACROSS THOSE 60 BUILDINGS.%
SO, A SMALL CITY IS WORTH OF PEOPLE THAT YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE
FOR ON ANY GIVEN DAY F. SOMEONE WERE TO COME ON THE PROPERTY
WITH A WEAPON, WHAT'S THE CURRENT PROTOCOL TO RESPOND TO
THAT FOR TEACHERS?
>> THE FIRST THING YOU TRY TO DO IS HARDEN THE TARGET.
WE HAVE SINGLE ENTRY ACCESS POINT TO EVERY BUILDING.
SO THAT YOU HAVE TO BE BUZZED IN IN EVERY BUILDING, THERE IS
CAMERAS OUTSIDE AND INSIDE EVERY DOOR.
SO TO STOP ANYONE FROM ENTERING WITH A GUN WOULD BE THE FIRST
LINE OF DEFENSE.
THEN WE HAVE PROTOCOLS IN PLACE SHOULD SOMEONE WORK THROUGH THE
SECURITY.
>> WHAT ABOUT FOR KID, YOUR KID HAVE BEEN TRAINED, WHAT DO THEY
KNOW TO DO?
>> MY KID HAVE TOLD ME TELL ME WHERE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO GO IN
THE CLASSROOM.
HOW THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO LINE UP, THEY KNOW DEPENDING ON WHATEVER
THAT SITUATION IS, THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO AS A
REACTION.
>> WE HAVE AN ENTIRE PROTOCOL THAT WE TRAIN STAFF ON FOR EVERY
POSSIBLE EMERGENCY EXACTLY HOW STAFF IS SUPPOSED TO PROCEED
WITHOUT EMERGENCY.
FOR THE STUDENTS THEY'RE TRAINED BE IT INTRUDER DRILL, FIRE DRILL
OR VARIOUS OTHER TYPES OF DRILLS EXACTLY WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO
DO, HOW THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO PROCEED.
>> THE DISTRICT ALSO HAS BOTH SPRINGFIELD POLICE OFFICERS IN
VARIOUS SCHOOLS BUT ALSO ADDITIONAL SECURITY GUARD, HOW
OFTEN ARE YOU LOOKING AT, DO WE HAVE ENOUGH, DO WE HAVE TOO MANY
, IS THIS AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO BE PROTECTING STUDENTS AND
STAFF HERE?
>> I THINK IT'S EVOLVED OVER THE LAST YEARS.
BACK WHEN I WAS A PRINCIPAL SOME YEARS AGO THE WHOLE FIELD WAS,
LET'S INVITE THE PARENTS INTO THE SCHOOL, LET'S GET FAMILIES
INVOLVED IN THE SCHOOL AND SCHOOLS WERE VERY, VERY OPEN.
NOW WE'RE SINGLE POINT ENTRY, WE HAVE INTERIOR, EXTERIOR LOCKS,
BUZZ-IN SYSTEMS, WE'VE INVESTED MILLIONS IN CAMERAS, LOCKS,
SECURITY SO THAT WE REALLY HARDEN THAT TARGET SIGNIFICANTLY
AT EVERY SCHOOL HAVE PROTOCOLS IN PLACE AND STAFF TRAINED TO
DEAL WITH THOSE.
>> I KNOW THE CURRENT SCHOOL CODE OF CONDUCT ALLOWS FOR
SOMEONE TO WRITE TO THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE AND REQUEST TO HAVE A
WEAPON BROUGHT OR CARRIED WITH THEM.
HAVE YOU HAD ANYONE REQUEST FOR THAT?
>> NO.
DO YOU ANTICIPATE THAT MOVING FORWARD?
WE'VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT SCHOOL TEACHERS AND STAFF
SHOULD BE ARMED ON CAMPUS.
>> I DON'T FEEL IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO ARM UNTRAINED TEACHERS AND
HAVE EXTRA GUNS ON THE SCHOOL CAMPUS WITH PERSONNEL THAT
WOULDN'T BE PROPERLY TRAINED.
OUR POLICE ARE ARMED.
BUT OF COURSE THEY'RE PROPERLY TRAINED.
OUR SECURITY GUARDS ARE NOT ARMED.
>> HOW OFTEN IS THE DISTRICT LOOKING AT ITS POLICY AROUND
SAFETY AND SECURITY?
>> SO, WE AS SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS TAKE IT VERY EAR YOUS.
SO WE HAVE ALREADY STARTED, AGAIN BEFORE THIS FLORIDA SHOOT
ING HAPPENED WE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT GETTING TOGETHER,
HAVING SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING TO LOOK AT OUR POLICIES TO TO SEE
IS THERE ANYTHING THAT WE WANT TO ASK QUESTIONS OR GET CLARITY
ON.
ANY AMENDMENTS THAT WE MAY WANT TO ASK ABOUT.
SO IT'S IMPERATIVE FOR US TO LOOK AT IT REGULARLY, DEPENDING
ON WHAT THE POLICY IS.
TO REALLY MAKE SURE THAT OUR STRENGTHS ARE HAPPENING IN THE
COUNTRY THAT WE'RE STAYING AHEAD OF THEM AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
WE JUST ALWAYS WANT TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE DOING
NOW, WHAT ARE THEY DOING TO BE PRO-ACTIVE THEN IS THERE
ANYTHING THAT MAYBE WE CAN ASK ABOUT THAT THEY HADN'T THOUGHT
ABOUT OR ANYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT THAT WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT THAT
THEY'RE NOT DOING.
THEN LOOK TO IMPLEMENT THAT INTO THE POLICY LATER.
>> I THINK I'VE BEEN STRUCK BY THE LACK OF DISCUSSION AT THE
NATIONAL LEVEL ABOUT THE CONNECTION THAT I'VE HEARD YOU
MAKE, BETWEEN A SOLID EDUCATION AND SAFETY, PUBLIC SAFETY.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> IN THE LONG TERM.
HAVE EITHER OF YOU BEEN DIS COURAGED AT THE LACK OF THAT
DISCUSSION AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL AND SHOULD WE BE TALKING ABOUT
IT MORE HERE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL?
>> MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE HA THESE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW
IMPORTANT IS IT FOR PEOPLE TO BE SAFE.
WE ANTICIPATE THAT WHEN KID ARE GOING TO SCHOOL THEY'RE GOING
THERE TO LEARN.
THE TEACHERS ARE THERE TO TEACH.
HOWEVER, SAFETY IS LIKE 1A OF IT IS THAT YOU HAVE TO FEEL THAT
YOU'RE SAFE, BECAUSE IF YOU'RE NOT YOU CAN'T LEARN AND YOU
CAN'T TEACH.
YES, ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY TO TALK ABOUT IT AT A NATIONAL
LEVEL.
I THINK WE ALREADY HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS ON LOCAL LEVEL.
THE NATIONAL LEVEL JUST FACT THAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT JUST
HAVING GUNS AND ARMING TEACHERS, HOW REMOVED ARE YOU FROM THE
FACT THAT CLASSROOMS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE FOR THAT PURPOSE.
THAT'S WHY WE HAVE RESOURCE OFFICERS.
THAT'S WHY WE HAVE SECURITY OFFICERS.
THEY'RE THE ONES SUPPOSED TO PROTECT US NOT US GOINGISH THERE
THINKING ABOUT HOW DO WE PROTECT OUR KIDS, BY THE WAY, ONE PLUS
ONE EQUALS TWO.
>> AS A PARENT, PARENTS WANT TO KNOW THEIR KIDS ARE SAFE, WE'VE
PUT A LOT OF WORK INTO IT BUT I DON'T THINK YOU'RE EVER DONE.
IT CONSTANTLY EVOLVES, CONSTANTLY LOOKING AT NEW
INITIATIVES, LAST FEW YEARS WE ADDED BE SAFE PROTOCOL THAT WE
BOUGHT INTO THAT IDENTIFIES EVERY DOOR IN THE SCHOOL, EVERY
ACCESS POINT AND THE POLICE OFFICERS AND FIREFIGHTERS
ACTUALLY ALL HAVE THAT INFORMATION TO RESPOND TO.
ALL THOSE KINDS OF INITIATIVES MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
WE MAKE SURE OUR SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS CONSTANTLY GETTING NEW
TRAINING TO RESPOND.
OUR SECURITY GUARDS ARE CONSTANTLY GETTING TRAINING.
OUR POLICIES HAVE EVOLVED AND CHANGED AND IMPROVED EVERY YEAR.
>> NEXT SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING MARCH 111, SEE IF THE
CONVERSATION FINANCE THERE, I'M SURE.
THANKS FOR COMING IN.
>> WE HAVE INVITED LEADERS FRM SCHOOLS IN PITTSFIELD, HOLYOKE
AND GREENFIELD TO DISCUSS SCHOOL SAFETY AND SECURITY IN THEIR
DISTRICTS.
WE HOPE TO HEAR BACK FROM THEM SOON.
AND WE ENCOURAGE ANY OTHERS TO BE IN TOUCH WITH US.