This article needs to open with the reality that there is no way to totally prevent active shooters in schools without turning them into maximum security prisons. That said, there are ways to minimize the damage that an active shooter can accomplish.
I. Install electromagnetic locks on all classroom doors which are controlled from the Principal’s Office. These would only be employed in emergencies. The other locking system would be used during regular classroom times. Once deployed, a key card would be needed to open an individual door and those cards would only be issued to the Principal, Vice Principal, and Custodian. The custodian would be responsible for supplying responding officers with the entry badge. The custodian would be provided on entry key per floor of the facility. Immediately when deployed, a signal would also be transmitted to the Central Office of the School District allowing them to notify law enforcement.
II. Install drop-down gates electronically controlled in the Principal’s Office which employs the same key card as the classroom lock.
III. Construct a “sallyport” as the entry point to the facility. It would have glass sidewalls and a double door entry. There would be an intercom in the entry way with a camera to view who is entering. The second door would be electronically controlled and reinforced with bullet resistant glass. All of the other exterior doors would have an alarm notifying the office that it has been opened and personnel can be sent to determine the reason it was opened.
IV. Installation of one removable window in the rear of each classroom. The window frame would open into the classroom and provide an escape route for the students and teachers in that classroom. Students and teachers on other floors would be removed by fire department ladder truck trucks with police protection.
V. The initial response would consist of police resources, two fire companies and one paramedic unit. For facilities with multiple levels, two fire ladder trucks would be added to the response. The fire companies would be responsible for assisting in the evacuation of the students exiting the first floor windows. The ladder companies would assist the upper floor classroom evacuation from each side of the building. A police officer armed with a tactical rifle is assigned to each ladder truck to provide security.
VI. Implementing a policy that any officer can, without seeking permission, neutralize the suspect at the earliest opportunity and that the action will be supported at the highest levels.
The reality is that in almost all of the cases of active shooters, they factor themselves into the bofy count whether it is self-inflicted or in at the hands of law enforcement. Harris and Klebold from Columbine planned to leave Columbine after the carnage and drive a few miles to a shopping mall where they would kill people until they died in a firefight with police. When the original plan failed, they went to the library and ultimately committed suicide. In the Aurora, Colorado movie shooting, Holmes intended to die in a firefight until his tactical rifle jammed. When he was unable to clear the malfunction, he went out the rear door of the theater and sat on the curb until officers arrived. There is no negotiation with these offenders.
The positive aspect of this is the reduced cost since human participation is limited, therefore no ongoing salary and benefits. Secondarily, the physical equipment would restrict the ability of the person’s movement within the structure.
This program is unlikely to be successful on a university campus due to logistics issues. A sprawling campus with multiple buildings without an in-house staff would create a difficult situation to deploy the equipment.
In summation, there is little or nothing that will stop this type of event from occurring, but these are methods which can effectively limit the damage to human life.