Opinion
School Climate & Safety Letter to the Editor

School Safety Should Be Built In, Not Tacked On

October 22, 2024 1 min read
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To the Editor:

After reading “What JD Vance and Tim Walz Said About School Safety in the VP Debate,” (Oct. 1, 2024) and working with schools on school safety for decades, I realize that people often want a quick fix for a long-term problem.

Fear is driving expensive school safety equipment (alert buttons, cameras, AI metal detectors, safety windows, doors, and locks), but reality and research are in the back seat.

Targeted “hardening” would be better spent on targeted prevention with behavioral threat assessments, bullying prevention, and mental health resources for students and staff.

Schools and communities need to address ways to prevent school violence with “heartware” (working with people) before hardware (working with things).

Some may want metal detectors, but we need mental detectors first.

Stephen R. Sroka
Assistant Professor
School of Medicine
Case Western Reserve University
Lakewood, Ohio

Read the article mentioned in this letter

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, and Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz participate in a vice presidential debate hosted by CBS News Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in New York.
Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, and Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz participate in a vice presidential debate hosted by CBS News Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in New York.
Matt Rourke/AP
Federal What JD Vance and Tim Walz Said About School Safety in VP Debate
Libby Stanford, October 1, 2024
3 min read

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A version of this article appeared in the October 23, 2024 edition of Education Week as School Safety Should Be Built In, Not Tacked On

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