School Fences: Will they Improve Safety?
One of the threats that school safety experts see is when unauthorized people get to enter the school premises. That is why they set up elaborate security measures to ensure that only the people who are supposed to be inside the school premises will be able to enter. I suppose that one simple method of restricting access to the school campuses would be to use fences. Of course, we know that fences can be breached – just as other security measures can be – but the fact that fences are up might discourage “casual” intruders from entering the school premises.
I think this idea is the basic premise behind the countywide fencing project that is going to be launched in Putnam County. The Herald-Dispatch reports:
During a Monday night meeting, the Putnam school board approved a $417,954 contract with Alco Fencing for installation of property fencing at 16 of the county’s 22 schools.
Tom Tull, Putnam County Schools’ director of middle childhood education and special projects, says this effort is all part of the statewide safe schools initiative and is directed at helping the county tighten security in order to protect students and staff. The fences will serve primarily as an enclosure to playgrounds and areas that students might be present in during the day, with a focus on mostly the sides and rear of school properties.
Tull said the state School Building Authority received roughly $8 million in legislative funds this year, which were then appropriated among school districts throughout the state for security projects. Each district had the responsibility of a 15 percent match in order to receive the funds. Another distribution of funds is expected this coming legislative year.
“We’re just trying to take a proactive stance on keeping kids safe,” Tull said, with this being just one of several changes expected for the new school year in Putnam County.
More than the fencing project, though, the authorities are installing other security measures which include security doors. As much as I already like the idea of putting up fences around the perimeters of the schools, it also makes more sense to focus not only on the outside but also within the school buildings as well. In addition to these, they will also be installing surveillance video cameras and they will be requiring students to wear ID badges.
I am sure that some people might not like these ideas BUT then again, we really cannot please everybody. How about you, what is your stand on fences and the other security measures mentioned here?
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Posted on August 8th, 2008 by Deborah J Thomas
Filed under: Administrators, News, People Involved, School Safety Issues, Security
I would like to know what they are protecting the students from? If you look at data about school safety, you will find that most incidents are caused or carried out by students, who are already inside the school. While fencing, doors and security cameras may add to a safer environment for our children, they are extremely costly and will not prevent the violence that comes from students already in the school. Cameras make a recording to aid in investigation, and may allow a quicker response IF they are constantly monitored, but have never prevented an incident. Indeed, we have surrveillance camera recordings from Columbine and several other schools in which violent incidents occurred.
Schools need to be spending at least part of their security funds on the PREVENTION of incidents through programs that help to create a positive school climate, decrease bullying and violence, and empower students to anonymously report their knowledge of problems BEFORE they erupt into violence.
Prevention is critical and schools are not doing enough in this area.
Catherine Toohey
School Safety Specialist
Fences will protect kids from the predators lurking around! It does make a difference and if a fence saves the life of even one child then it was worth every penny!
I am the author of a book called ‘Mr. Stranger and the Lost Puppy’ and after doing a reading/safety presentation at a Chick-fil-a in Houston, a parent thanked me for writing my book and said that it was just what his family needed. The day before one of his daughters told on the other one…his 6 year old had been talking to a man–on the other side of the fence at school who was conveniently walking his dog during her recess time. Her friend, told her sister who spoke up. Had the fence not been there, the family might have been on the news asking for the safe return of their daughter instead of visiting a restaurant and receiving a reinforced message about making safe decisions!
The young girl told me that she ‘accidentally’ talked to the stranger but he was on the other side of the fence! lol.
I reminded her that it wasn’t an accident (and she sheepishly agreed), and told her that she made a choice but now she knew what a safer choice would be–to go to her teacher if the man came back during recess and tell the teacher instead of going to the man and his dog!
Another concern personally was the attention that the teachers were paying to the kids since he had stopped by with his dog multiple times…
[...] you remember, I wrote something about Putnam County launching a project that will put in place fences around their schools. I raised the question “Will fences increase school safety?” I was pleasantly surprised to [...]
I guess I must admit that I am looking at secondary risks and not so much elementary schools. The risks are different. Your story is a testament that the fences work very well protecting small children from predators.
Also - my comment was not just about fences, but about all the hardening of the infrastructure of schools which is incredibly expensive, while it seems schools ignore the fact that most problems come from within.