FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 24, 2007
Parents and teachers aware of the growing need to be prepared
May 24, 2007, TORONTO, ON – Yesterday’s fatal shooting at C.W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute is further proof of the need to increase school security. Initial reports quoted parents calling for metal detectors to be installed in schools.
Installing metal detectors may or may not be the answer, but with recent events at Dawson College and Virginia Tech, the feeling that students and staff need to be better prepared is clearly growing.
Teachers from Scales Elementary School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee staged a mock gun attack – without warning that it was a mock-up. While the idea induced panic, it does show that the issue of school safety is front and centre in the minds of educators.
Increasingly in the GTA, schools are initiating lockdown practices. It’s becoming the new norm for school boards – practiced as frequently as fire drills.
But is it enough? Is there anything else that can be done to ensure security?
According to David Poirier of Lenbrook Canada there is. “Maintaining order and enhancing student and staff safety are the reasons why schools, colleges, and universities are now using two-way radios in addition to phone and intercom systems. They’re part of a solution to many areas of school activity and student safety.”
Poirier knows from experience that putting two-way radios in the hands of school staff helps improve communication and safety. Staff can alert school security to potentially dangerous situations quickly. One user can alert all staff of any situation in seconds. Communicating in crisis situations is immediate and discreet – ensuring a quick and effective response.
Shelley Jones of Ecole Greenfield School, Edmonton, Alberta agrees, “This has become a great tool for communication and safety in our school.”
We may never be free of the threat of school violence, but preventive measures can be implemented which help increase overall safety for students and staff.
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For further information contact:
Strategic Communications Solutions
ON BEHALF OF LENBROOK CANADA
Direct Phone: 905.901.9218
Email: pturkington@stratcommsolutions.ca
Web: www.stratcommsolutions.ca
