Executive Summary:

We are proposing panic applications, doors and ID cards for all New Jersey public schools. Since 2015, there has been on average one school shooting per week in the United States. It is unsafe for children to be in a public school where there are insufficient safety measures. Our goal is to tweak the laws in New Jersey to make students feel even safer at the building they will spend 35 hours a week in. Currently, there are minimal laws regarding required safety devices in New Jersey public schools, and we wish to change that. Laws adding safety devices are instrumental, because they will keep students and faculty safe, they prevent unwanted people from entering the building, and allow easier access for law enforcement authorities.

State Policy 1A: Protocols

Currently, most security protocols in our public schools are confidential. While we understand the reasoning, the citizens want to know that they are safe. There should be a way to reveal parts of this protocol to ensure safety, while keeping enough in secrecy that burglars and potential shooters could not figure out a way to bypass this procedure. Keeping the citizens in the know would calm us down from protesting school safety to our Boards of Education, and would still keep the buildings safe.

State Policy 1B: Panic Applications

A way to solve this issue in our state is with a panic application. A vast majority of the faculty have access to a cellular device or computer during regular class time. An app or website that is compatible with both phones and computers would be a method in resolving this task. There would only be two elements to the app. The first phase is making sure that a random student cannot access the application. Each independent county will set each teacher with an 8-digit password for this app, and once they enter their password, there will be a button they could press, which would alert the front office of all public district schools, as well as local law enforcement of anything that may occur, a shooter, medical emergency, or anything amiss. These would also ensure the safety of students if an emergency does occur.

State Policy 1C: Doors and ID Cards

Currently, all schools in the Springfield Public Schools district have hammer and bulletproof doors. We want to make this a statewide policy, in the rare case that someone outside the school has a gun capable of shooting through a door and hitting a student. Despite the fact that this is unlikely to occur, every precaution must be taken to ensure safety of students. We also want to bring upon ID cards to all students in middle and high schools. All doors would have an ID card reader that lets people in and out. Every card would have a unique barcode, and it will get rid of the need for sign in papers at schools. The office and principal would be able to see who clocks in and out, where they do it, and when.

Conclusion:

These safety precautions today are necessary toward a safer tomorrow. If at least some of these are not implemented, lives could be lost so to inadequate school safety standards. While it might cost some more money, the financial cost of these safeguards most definitively outweigh the human cost of a potential school shooter. People look to live in a safe environment. Any bad event that may occur would tarnish New Jersey’s reputation as to being a safe state. When this happens, New Jersey will lose current citizens as well as future leaders and therefore tax money that could go to school safety and other urgent state issues. Please sign to make New Jersey public schools safer by putting panic buttons in NJ schools.