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Unlocked doors were ‘first line of defense’ at Uvalde school
AP ^ | 6/23/22 | HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH

Posted on 06/23/2022 2:43:04 PM PDT by conservative98

The Uvalde massacre began after the 18-year-old gunman entered the school through a door that could only be locked from the outside then got inside a classroom that had a busted lock, experts testified Tuesday.

Securing doors has long been a focus of school safety drills, and the inability to do so during the May 24 attack that left 19 children and two teachers dead is raising alarms among experts and politicians.

When doors are not secure, “your first step, your first line of defense has now been eliminated,” said Ken Trump, the president of the National School Safety and Security Services.

State Sen. Paul Bettencourt said unlockable doors make lockdowns and shooter training worthless, adding that there was “zero obstacle to the shooter.”

[cut]

WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THE GUNMAN REACHED THE OUTSIDE DOOR?

[cut]

Nearly a month after the rampage, Col. Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, further amended what his agency’s investigation shows: The teacher did close the door, but unbeknownst to her, it could be locked only from the outside.

The gunman “walked straight through,” McCraw said Tuesday in blistering testimony at a state Senate hearing in Austin.

Ronald Stephens, executive director of the National School Safety Center, said he was “astonished” that the exterior door could only be locked from the outside. He likened it to a house that could only be locked from the outside.

“Shouldn’t the security of the school be as safe as the security of your home?” he asked.

Experts did not explain during the hearing why the school’s exterior door locked from outside. Robb Elementary is an older building, constructed in 1955.

(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: banglist; doors; govtabuse; robbelementary; school; texas; uvalde
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To: heartwood

Police could have gone through a window, too...


61 posted on 06/23/2022 8:17:43 PM PDT by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge)
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To: Valpal1

Once we get all these doors tight so only a school official can open them some terroristic mass murderer wannabe kid is going to try fire rather than an AK because it will be more spectacular and make him infamous. The Columbine shooters even thought of propane.


62 posted on 06/23/2022 8:24:08 PM PDT by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge)
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To: piasa

That’s why the classroom door must be under the control of the teacher. Windows should be easy to escape through and schools have fire suppression sprinklers, so fire is going to be difficult to use as a weapon.


63 posted on 06/23/2022 8:43:00 PM PDT by Valpal1 (Not even the police are safe from the police!!!)
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To: DugwayDuke
"I suspect we will find that in 1955, the doors were designed to be locked at the end of the day when everyone left."

I suspect "those were the days" when Tylenol bottles were sold without seals on their tops...

64 posted on 06/23/2022 11:34:29 PM PDT by Does so (https//youtu.be/3PxEWB6W8ig ......Uke's Independence Day Parade. Anthem starts at 15:00)
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To: conservative98

Another stand down event we will eventually find out. All roads lead to the feds and their agenda.


65 posted on 06/24/2022 3:42:16 AM PDT by ronnie raygun
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To: piasa

Fire was something long since thought about - most school buildings built in the last 20-30 years are shockingly fire resistant. Not just because of school attacks, but because of some unfortunate school fires and some errant lab experiments that got way out of hand. In some cases, a closed classroom can preserve the life of the occupants for hours even if they can’t get out. Ever noticed that modern school construction often resembles a jail or a fortress? Now you know why.


66 posted on 06/24/2022 4:57:22 AM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: immadashell

Did you read the link and the article? Didn’t think so.


67 posted on 06/24/2022 11:01:44 AM PDT by Vigilanteman (The politicized state destroys aspects of civil society, human kindness and private charity.)
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To: Vigilanteman

From your link there was brief message of US Marshals handcuffing an unarmed mother who was trying to get her kids out. Is this the person who was supposed to stop the shooter? I don’t think so!


68 posted on 06/24/2022 12:12:38 PM PDT by immadashell (Save Innocent Lives: Ban Gun Free Zones)
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To: immadashell
No, but it does indicate the US Marshals were protecting the shooter against people trying to save their loved ones from being sitting ducks. Of course "It was for their own safety" if you believe the government version.

Once upon a time, I might have, but there were just to many odd coincidences at Uvalde such as doors that were supposed to be locked being unlocked to let the shooter in and law enforcement waiting for keys to doors that weren't locked.

69 posted on 06/24/2022 12:46:35 PM PDT by Vigilanteman (The politicized state destroys aspects of civil society, human kindness and private charity.)
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To: conservative98

Schools should have one entrance with a metal scanner.. and then maybe a twenty foot long corridor before you actually enter the school.

And before all that do not let crazy kids anywhere near the school?


70 posted on 06/24/2022 1:08:57 PM PDT by Leep (Hillary will NEVER be president! 😁)
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To: conservative98

Also, do most classrooms even need doors?


71 posted on 06/24/2022 1:10:10 PM PDT by Leep (Hillary will NEVER be president! 😁)
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