What East Lyme Schools Learned From Sandy Hook

Three-and-a-half minutes. That's how much time elapsed from the moment the first gun shots pierced the glass on the doors to the Sandy Hook Elementary School until the shooter killed himself. And in those three-and-a-half minutes, more than 150 bullets were fired and 20 children and six teachers were killed. 

Earlier this week, East Lyme School Superintendent James Lombardo received the Sandy Hook Commission's recommendations for school safety. He also attended a meeting of school superintendents during which he heard details about the tragic shooting from Newtown Superintendent Janet Robinson, who lives in East Lyme, which he said, "brought me to tears." 

The Sandy Hook massacre haunts Connecticut schools as they continue to look at what they could do differently to ensure such a tragedy never happens again. Lombardo admits the sad reality is that, no matter how secure the school, "there's nothing we can do to prevent Sandy Hook."

But while there's no way to predict when a maniac might strike, there are steps schools can take to maximize security and minimize potential threats. And East Lyme schools are well on their way to doing that. "Those things schools can do themselves, we're in pretty good shape," Lombardo said.

School Security

At a public forum on school safety on March 20, Lombardo outlined what changes the school district has made in six specific areas in the wake of Sandy Hook. It includes a $25,000 expenditure this year on school security and the district is asking for an additional $110,000 in the upcoming budget for security upgrades. 

Equipment Upgrades

East Lyme School District's first step was to assess building and grounds surveillance, cameras, computers, and monitoring and to identify and fill any gaps in the system.

The schools added cameras, placed mirrors to give them a look into previously hidden areas such as under staircases, and gave the East Lyme Police Department, Emergency Management, and school officials a means to view remotely what was being captured on those cameras.

The schools already had panic buttons in place in classrooms, but gave more staff members authority to trigger them.

Main entry doors to schools are now locked during the day and visitors must be cleared to enter. The schools are installing new video phones to identify visitors and existing security entry systems are being relocated to doors elsewhere in school buildings that didn't have them before. 

Building Improvements

The district is improving signage to guide people around the schools and plans to add fencing around the middle school to keep students in and unauthorized visitors out during recess. Every door will have a lock from now on. 

Personnel Changes

"We currently have someone sitting near entrances to all our schools, but not all the time," said Lombardo. The district wants to increase staffing so that "greeters" are in position for before and after school activities. The school district also plans to increase security training for the "greeters" and for all school staff. 

"We have to be much more thorough for all staff. Every volunteer, every substitute should have training [in emergency procedures] before they walk into a classroom," Lombardo said. 

Internal Threats

The tragedy at Sandy Hook has focussed attention on an attack coming from outside the school. However, historically, many school shootings—including the shootings at Columbine, Colorado—have originated from within.

Emergency procedures in the event of a threat that stems from within the school are more or less the same. However, East Lyme School District tries to nip problems in the bud by having a comprehensive mental health program in place for troubled students.

Thanks to a partnership with Child and Family Services of Southeastern Connecticut, East Lyme schools have two social workers—whose salaries are funded by a grant—who work with students and their families on a daily basis. School staff also have access to mental health services through the district's employee assistance program.   

"The wonderful thing is that kids say something now," said Lombardo.

The result is that if students know that a friend is struggling with bullying, abuse, or has mental health issues, it's now coming to the schools' attention and the district has staff in place who are trained to handle it. 

"We will continue to fight very hard for funding for mental health," said Lombardo. 

You May Not Stop It, But You Can Slow It Down

Sandy Hook Elementary School had many security systems in place and had run through an emergency drill just the day before the shooting. That, Lombardo said, saved countless lives.

Having a staff that is trained to respond to emergencies and having barriers in place to slow an assailant down is essential, Lombardo said.  

"If we have a lock-down drill, every teacher will lock the door," he said. "That's one of the keys to slowing down a person who wants to do harm."

The aim, Lombardo said, is to "slow it down in time for police to get here." And, in case you're curious, Lombardo said that when called, East Lyme police arrive within two minutes. 

Lombardo will be giving the same presentation he made this week to the East Lyme Board of Education when it meets on March 25 at 7 p.m. at East Lyme High School. 

You'll also find details about school security posted on the district's web site.