Nov 3, 2009 By Christine Haines 3 min read

CALIFORNIA – The most effective tool for school safety is human observation; that was the message recently at the third annual security conference at California University of Pennsylvania. State police Trooper Shawn Mell, who is part of the state’s risk and vulnerability assessment team, said the need to take a closer look at school safety in connection with terrorism arose after a school in Russia was seized by terrorists and 334 people, mostly children, were killed.

Mell prefaced his talk by noting that extreme acts of school violence are rare.

“You are more likely to be killed by lightning than by a school attack,” Mell said.

Mell noted that Osama bin Laden sought a fatwa, or Islamic religious ruling, giving him permission to kill four million Americans, half of which are supposed to be children.

Mell said American soldiers have found plans for four schools in training camps in Afghanistan.

“I’m not telling you there is an attack on a school imminent. I’m telling you to think about it. If we’re going to stop an attack on a school, it’s going to be with the human element,” Mell said. “It all comes down to vigilance. If you want to stop an attack, use your eyes, ears and mouth, and tell somebody.”

He gave the example of a school in Bailey, Colo., in which two people were killed in a school shooting incident committed by a man who had been seen in the parking lot the day before and the day of the shooting and walked around the school building for an hour without being confronted by anyone before committing the homicide.

“Nobody said a word. They thought he was a parent,” Mell said.

Mell said the perception is that violent school acts occur in large cities and urban areas.

“The reality is, it’s happening in rural and suburban Pennsylvania,” Mell said.

Pennsylvania ranks third in the nation in school violence deaths since 1992, with 28 killings in that time period. There were 452 deaths nation-wide in those years.

Robert French, director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and adviser for Homeland Security, said the principles of emergency preparedness can be applied to school violence as well as to natural disasters.

French said by state law, every district must have a disaster plan.

“It is incumbent upon us to emphasize to every teacher, every bus driver how important their role is,” French said.

French said readiness begins with the individual. He urged districts to identify their critical infrastructure and the fire, police and other emergency agencies available to assist them.

“Get them together so everyone knows your plan,” French said.

The need for cooperation between districts and municipal agencies was further emphasized by Dr. Gerald Zahorchak, Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Education.

“We could be doing an awful lot better. It seems when we plan together as school districts and municipalities and counties, we work together. Getting these relationships started is awkward,” Zahorchak said.

Zahorchak said there is a need for emergency drills of all types, not just fire drills in schools.

“It becomes routine and automatic, so that if it ever happens, everyone knows exactly how to respond,” Zahorchak said. “Knowing what to do and what not to do will save lives.”

Zahorchak said the threat of school violence caused by students will decrease with improved attention to educational basics and adolescent development.

“If we do education right, many of the social and education problems we have will go on the wane,” Zahorchak said.