School Buses Are as Vulnerable as The One Room Schoolhouse in Amish Country

Family Security Matters ^ | 10-5-06 | C. Taber

[Security Mom 08]

Yet despite many advancements in school safety, according to a survey conducted by the National Association of School Resource Officers, 55% of the school administration respondents said that school emergency preparedness is inadequate and a full 95% of them said that schools are “very or somewhat” vulnerable, particularly to terrorism…as Lancaster County most certainly was.

[Security Mom 08]

Being a “security mom” myself, I find this article especially important for parents, teachers, students and administrators of our schools. People think we shouldn’t scare people so they stay away from talk about such horrific events…..but let me tell you what is more daunting is to not think ahead and plan for the worse.

Most parents do not even realize that school busses are “soft targets” for terrorist or those that would like to inflict harm on children. They should read this and follow up with their local school district and bus company.

[sure_fine]

have they put seat belts in buses yet?

[Security Mom 08]

Yes, at least in our district. We have twin daughters, wee ones and the bus actually has an "assistant" in addition to the bus driver.

The assistant gets the kids settled and makes sure they buckle up before the bus driver pulls away from the stop.

[dhuffman@awod.com]

Seatbelts are not security.

Good people should be armed where they will. They should be armed with at least wits and more effectively with guns.

[dawn53]

In Tampa, a few months ago, two Saudi men boarded a school bus and rode it to the school.

They were arrested, but later released without being charged.

Their story was that they were "new" in the country and didn't understand that you couldn't just jump on any school bus for a ride.

The amazing thing, the bus driver did nothing to try to keep them off the bus, or get them to leave once they boarded the bus, he just drove his normal route to the school.

WEIRD!

[steveyp]

Beslan.

[Battle Axe]

http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/outlaws/chowchilla_kidnap/

Remember this????

[Security Mom 08]

No, I don't remember this......I was a teenager at the time. How horrible. But the story does not tell what happened after?

[sgtbono2002]

You cant put armed guards on every school bus.

In Israel where the buses have been blown up regularly they dont have armed guards on the bus.

Some things cannot be protected 100% .Its not pleasant but its a fact.

Raising a big stink about security is nuts. Life goes on and crazies will strike again.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Arming a school bus sounds inherently dangerous. Kind of like... "Why don't the janitors carry sidearms at the schools?" Using metal detectors helps to keep the guns out of the schools. Do we want metal detection to be used at the bus stop, or just backpack searches?

Isn't the concern that "someone" could take the gun away from the staff member and use it against/him and or the students?

Once you get the "safety" ball rolling, there is no end in sight... all of the precautions to be put into place are too onerous and expensive. Best case? Put the buses out of work, and have the parents take the kids to and from school. I wonder if the number of accidents in the school parking lot will increase, once that measure is taken?

[Battle Axe]

The driver who the perps had stripped to his undies, was able to get out and get help. All survived. The whole idea was crazy and I never understood the motivation.

But Geraldo on O'Reilly last night was right. No more negotiations. We send in one guy and take out the bad guy.

If you are the victim,.....when you see the sniper in place, just pick up something and then drop it...Oh I dropped this whatever. Bend at the waist and get your head out of the way. Try to get away from what ever he has and let the sniper take him out.

[Battle Axe]

They had actually buried that bus, so that looking from the air was impossible. No cell phones at that time. I was in Calif. at the time. Very scary.

[tubebender]

30 years ago! I remember it well. It was surreal at the time and would be today as well...

[43north]

The wonderful Lieberal "Gun Free School Zone" idea has reaped its inevitable reward - nutburgers know that as long as they are armed and invade a school, they will be safe long enough to do whatever dirty deed they have planned.

[SoftballMominVA]

Seat belts are dangerous on buses. In an accident, how are the youngest kids going to get out? If the driver is injured, there will be some little ones that cannot get the buckle open. If there are any seats without kids in them, the buckles can fly around and strike someone in an accident or rollover. The seats are high and heavily padded, for safety reasons.

I know that it appears that seatbelts would be good, because they do help in cars, but imagine a wreck where the driver has passed out and a bus full of elementary kids panicking and struggling to get a belt open. Not a pretty sight.

[VeniVidiVici]

Lived in Berlin during Desert Storm. The military community had the local elementary school ringed with flat bed trucks stacked high with sandbags. Could barely see the school.

Each school bus had an MP in full-gear onboard and followed by a jeep with a mounted M60.

Kids thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread :-)

[Security Mom 08]

Are you serious when you state "Raising a big stink about security is nuts".......


There are simple steps that parents, students, bus drivers, teachers, etc. can take.

Just think if that little school house in Lancaster had made it a practice to lock the school doors..............

[sgtbono2002]

The Amish have small schoolhouses and wooden doors, Any nut could kick the door in with one kick. Most are one or two room structures, with windows, large windows, since they have no electric lights.. The kids go out to play the nut follows them back in. The nut comes in thru the window, or shoots thru the window.

Nuts are crazy , but they arent stupid. If they want in they will find a way.

Security is great, but anyone who is willing or anxious to die can easily find a way around security.

[sgtbono2002]

Why not make an armored school bus, with a turret on top for the 50 caliber gun mount.

[VeniVidiVici]

That'd work. I'm sure the kids would love it. They'll probably also volunteer to man the 50.

How have we as a society made out our little munchkins to be these fragile little creatures?