Just how safe and secure are Decorah Schools?

Given the tragedy in Connecticut, it was predictable that a decorahnews.com reader (in this case, Sally) would e-mail us this Mr. Answer Person question: "Just how safe and secure are Decorah Schools?"

Mr. Answer Person contacted Superintendent Mike Haluska:
 
"I could write/speak on this topic for quite some time.  We are constantly looking at ways to improve the security in our buildings.  I am meeting with Police Chief Bill Nixon to review our security measures while the staff is on Winter Break.  Every building has an emergency plan in place and principals speak with staff about it each year.  Some have done lockdown drills with the local police involved to assess deficiencies in our plans.  The High School won't truly be secured until the construction is complete and entrance to the facility can be controlled.  Carrie Lee may have to go to a system whereby people wishing to enter the building would have to "buzz-in" and be seen on camera before gaining access since the office isn't located in a position to see who enters the building.  We are also in the process of determining how to better improve the overall security at both John Cline and West Side."

Haluska went on to note the rarity of the Connecticut incident, and asked the question "to what extremes are people willing to go in order to assure safety?"  One decorahnews.com reader shared the situation of a grandchild in Chicago: a solid steel front door with security code access, backed up by armed guards once students or visitors were inside the door.

And obviously the buildings themselves are not the only potential place of vulnerability. Haluska noted any outdoor activity as an example. In the Connecticut situation, the gunman actually shot his way through secured doors, so preventing that incident was not simply a matter of locked doors. While discussions will obviously continue here and elsewhere, Haluska summarized by saying "I believe one of the primary keys for school safety lies in the observances of the staff and students in and around the buildings who report something that looks amiss. Common sense and instinct will provide as much, if not more, security than anything else we can put in place."