Safer Schools Require Innovation and Money

For years many schools across the nation are struggling to get safer school buses to get children to and from school. Not very long ago I chaperoned a class trip. The buses may have been new school buses however they still had the old style bench seat with no seat belts. This upset me enough that I searched through the channels to find how this could be even remotely possible in this generation. It was told to me that school districts could not afford to handle the expenses that would be added to the budgets. So regulations on manufacturers were relaxed.

Portland, Oregon was recently looking at earthquake proofing their schools and the same case scenario came into light. It's a good idea, but it will be too expensive. So they keep sending their kids to the schools sitting over active faults. Read the article here: New innovation draws attention for schools.

Recent school shootings have raised several questions. Some want to ban the guns and some want armed guards. Armed guards though not bullet proof either would fall into the expensive area I would think. I find it interesting that a person cannot enter a apartment building or a business without a special entry card or password. Yet most schools can be entered by simply passing a card table with a volunteer parent. The technology exists but are the tax payers willing to pay for it?

When schools are built, they are usually voted on and tax payers can be heard speaking out at town meetings, "Why does this school have to be so fancy? It makes it too expensive." Innovations when it comes to schools has to be free it seems to happen. Can we challenge ourselves to meet the safety needs of our own children in light of climactic changes and increased suicidal threats of desperate people?

Safety pods are available for tsunami threats. Can we build rooms in new schools that can be shut off to intruders  or strong enough to survive tornadoes or earthquakes? Safer schools needs these innovations now!