Posted on 10/07/2004 10:14:24 AM PDT by crushelits
WASHINGTON - The Education Department has advised school leaders nationwide to watch for people spying on their buildings or buses to help detect any possibility of terrorism like the deadly school siege in Russia.
The warning follows an analysis by the FBI (news - web sites) and the Homeland Security Department of the siege that killed nearly 340 people, many of them students, in the city of Beslan last month.
"The horror of this attack may have created significant anxiety in our own country among parents, students, faculty staff and other community members," Deputy Education Secretary Eugene Hickok said in a letter to schools and education groups.
The safety advice is based on lessons learned from the Russia incident. But there is "no specific information indicating that there is a terrorist threat to any schools or universities in the United States," Hickok said.
Federal law enforcement officials also have encouraged local police to stay in contact with school officials and have encouraged reporting of suspicious activities, the letter says.
In particular, schools were told to watch for activities that may be legitimate on their own — but may suggest a heightened terrorist threat if many of them occur.
Among those activities:
_ Interest in obtaining site plans for schools, bus routes and attendance lists;
_ Prolonged "static surveillance" by people disguised as panhandlers, shoe shiners, newspaper or flower vendors or street sweepers not previously seen in the area;
_ Observations of security drills;
_ People staring at or quickly looking away from employees or vehicles as they enter or leave parking areas;
_ Foot surveillance of campuses involving individuals working together.
The effort is the latest by the Education Department and other federal agencies to encourage school officials to maintain and practice a plan for responding to emergencies.
After the terrorist takeover of the Russian school, President Bush (news - web sites) asked his top advisers to review their strategies for dealing with hostage situations, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge has said.
The federal government is advising schools to take many steps to improve the security of their buildings. Those include installing locks for all doors and windows, having a single entry point into buildings and ensuring they can reach school bus drivers in an emergency.
The Education Department sent its letter by e-mail Wednesday to school police, state school officers, school boards, groups representing principals and many other organizations.
The Homeland Security Department also sent a bulletin Wednesday to federal, state and local emergency officials to provide fresh guidance based on the review of the school siege in Russia.
BTTT
I have an idea: Since you are a bunch of civil service nitwits, why dontcha just release the information and let the informed among us decide exactly what we think the threat is.
MOABs my Dear Aunt Sally, we'll drop the Big Boys. The ones that leave the target glowing in the dark, and uninhabitable for some time. Sort of like the Romans salting the ground of Carthage. The mountains along the Pak-Afghan border would be somewhat diminished in height after we finish with them.
We are safer without Saddam, but the work clearly isn't over. I don't think Bush 'lost focus' - depite Clinton's decimation of the military, we have enough troops to fight a multiple-front war.
As far as the WMDs go, we KNOW Saddam had them (he used them). He refused to provide proof they had been destroyed because if he had, he'd be letting his enemies know he was defenseless. So in the absence of that proof, it was reasonable to conclude he still had them.
There is hope!!! After the Beslan crisis, I know of 2 Dim mothers who are voting for Bush and possibly a couple more. They are all Oncology RNs and were upset about Bush passing the Prescription Drug Plan because it takes money from the cancer patients. Then...like magic...when they saw what happened to those kids in Beslan....they knew that none of that mattered if their family was not safe...
Exactly, the Russians have the capability to nuke Mecca, or at least Grozny. If they didn't do it after such a provocation, and Russians are very emotional about their kids, we sure as heck wouldn't do it either... although you never know, you can push a Cowboy only so far and then ...
"I thought we were safer because Saddam has been ousted?"
LOL! As if Saddam's removal caused the Muslim terrorists to suddenly stop hating America?
Tell that to the victims of the Madrid train bombings. Oh wait -they're dead.
Because they fear angry, armed US citizens more than Al-Quida baby-killers, apparently.
But it did have WMDs, just not in "militarily signifigant" numbers. Terrorists would only need one.
LOL........yes you would unless ya worked at the school or were sanctioned to complete the task by officials to see if their appointed "security" noticed ya.
Our rabbits in the pens with open doors are there for the harvesting when the coyotes get hungry. Until goobermint adopts the 1911A1 vs 911 and allows volunteers such as Israel does to baby sit their schools "armed" they'll remain a potential target of opportunity. Teachers , Administrators , Maintenance staff, grounds keepers etc who have a CHL should be allowed to carry if they so desire for this very reason IMHO......
Albeit when one prepares for everything the bad guys will just do something else..... I say prepare and make the bad guy do something else.
Don't quote me on it, but I believe that all the latest terrorism targets in Russia (Beslan, Moscow Theater Siege, and another bomb and guns found in a theater) were buildings that were formerly under construction.
You do know how to scare someone......
Polling places in schools. Here also.
The Kingman High School, has a lovely old auditorium, I have been there for big meetings and traveling stage productions.
Am out of date now, but assume it is still used.
Haven't all buildings been 'formerly under construction' ???
Are you just being silly or you some kind of nit picking freak. You knew exactly what I meant.
Haha - sorry - was definitely tongue-in-cheek.
this should have been done 2-3 years ago..kill 100 kids=effects 30 million parents or more
Huh? It should have been done?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.