(from Palm Beach Post) Florida lawmakers, galvanized by last month’s deadly high school shooting in Parkland, want to arm school employees to better protect students. American Heritage School in Delray Beach is way ahead of the state Legislature when it comes to security measures. American Heritage already has armed police officers and private security. Ten years ago, it installed glass that is hurricane resistant or bulletproof. A new $1 million reinforced fence already is being installed at a Plantation campus. And under consideration now: clear backpacks.
Hurricane-resistant glass isn’t something people would think of when contemplating school security. But it proved critical to preventing even more deaths at Douglas High School. The Miami Herald reported that the gunman tried to shoot out the teacher’s lounge on the third floor of the freshman building, possibly for a sniper’s vantage point as hundreds of students and faculty ran fleeing below. But his bullets could not penetrate the hurricane glass recently installed in the lounge.
The Benjamin School switched to armed guards from unarmed guards. Oxbridge Academy of the Palm Beaches has armed security roaming the campus, too, and also has a new feature added last fall: A school security official has the ability to remotely lock all exterior building doors, including the main entrance.
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