In the wake of what occurred in Newtown, Connecticut Elementary School, as well as other shootings in Universities and High Schools over the past few years, it is our obligation as a nation to stand up for not only better gun control laws but to secure our children when they attend our schools.

I, Much like everyone in this nation, have been grieve stricken by this horrific and senseless act against young children and educators. I have no connection to anyone from Newtown, but I have a a five year old daughter who started Kindergarten this year as well as a three year old son, yet the connection with the parents and families who lost their children and loved ones has been a reminder of how fragile life is and have been grieving with them. These families will never read stories to their babies; or put them to sleep when they are afraid of the dark, play tag or baseball; take them to ballet or piano lessons.

In watching the news, the Principal at Sandy Hook Elementary had overseen installation of a new security system requiring every visitor to ring the front entrance's doorbell after the school doors locked at 9:30 a.m. It is great to see that a Principal had created this system and was in place.

The school my daughter attends currently do lock down drills and have bullet "resistant" window, but when I drop her off at school or pick her up, the cafeteria doors are unlocked and open (this is also where they keep the after school program kids); the Kindergarten classrooms and I'm sure the other classrooms are always unlocked and the campus is very open with minimal fencing. The check-in system is not heavily secured because they not monitor who is a guest at the school, the guests MUST know to come to the office to check-in and most do NOT.

I lived and attended elementary schools in Spain. One was called Izarra and the other Sogratho Korathon (Sacred Heart). Each school had bricked walls surrounding the campus with gates that only administrators and faculty could open. Anyone visiting the campus, such as a parent picking up a child, was heavily scrutinized or would have to call in before hand to be admitted on campus. Our schools were very secure in Spain.

When my daughter first started Kindergarten I focused on the security measures at her school and found them to be lacking. I even voiced my opinion in the front office to lock the cafeteria doors when there is students in there, but nothing was done. As a mother leaving her child out in the real world, I wanted to make sure she was safe. We have come at a time in our society where I had to teach my daughter what to do if someone has a gun at the school and starts shooting at them.

We need better safety and security measures at all our schools. By the time law makers and petitioners discuss gun control laws and make a decision, we do NOT want another shooting occurring in our schools; we do NOT want another family that will not have the chance to tuck their little child in bed again, we do NOT want our children living in fear; we do NOT want parents to drop off their children to school thinking "is this the last time I will see them?"; we do NOT want a community to go through what Newtown is having to harshly go through.

As President Obama said in his speech to the nation and to the people of Newtown, we must take care of our children first and this is the first step in doing so.

I humbly ask that you please sign my petition and spread the world. Let our voices reach to the White House and government agencies to help fund our schools in America for better security measures.