School Security Planning 4


No loving parent should ever have to bury their precious, treasured children. Again, beloved children have been shot and killed, this time in their Uvaldi, Texas, school.

We have terribly sick elements in a uber liberal society that has refused, neglected, to step up to protect its most precious assets, this time with nineteen dead and hundreds traumatized with emotional scars that will last a lifetime. This issue has, for years, begged for a fix that nobody has seriously or comprehensively addressed.

Partisan liberal politicians rail against guns and after a few days wander off. They fail to offer any real solutions to this continuing carnage other than to whine and cast blame on innocent guns. Democratic Senators Chris Murphy (CT) and Elizabeth Warren (MA), along with Representatives Ayanna Pressley (MA) and Ilhan Omar (MN), introduced the Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act that would prohibit federal money to be used to fund police in schools. Then, just days After the Uvaldi school murders, Democratic Senator Schumer Blocked a GOP School Safety Bill. Collectively, these and other Marxist Constitution haters like them clearly want more carnage, not less – to fit an unthinkably monstrous agenda.

There are workable measures that can be taken to protect our children.

The Uvaldi, shooter, like dozens before was a disturbed person known to authorities who failed to take appropriate action to protect the children. Living in a toxic environment, he was dangerously troubled and should have been under serious control (institutionalized). Yet, he was allowed to walk the streets and obtain guns. [Why do mental health/social workers have sovereign immunity?] Solution 1, take the immunity away from quacks and inept social workers/councilors, and start holding them accountable for allowing sociopaths to “slip through” the cracks. Identify and isolate dangerous sociopaths and keep them away from guns and other weapons – even intervene and institutionalize them while they are treated.

Early intervention is essential, before flawed characteristics become locked in and become a part of their personalities..

TV replays show the shooter entering the school through an open door. Solution 2: ALL school doors must automatically close and remain secured during class hours. Where was the School Resource Officer (SRO)?

Solution 3: State-of-the art detection and surveillance equipment will augment the effectiveness of SROs. Fences can be climbed or otherwise breached. In some instances, bollards or other blocking devices can be employed to deter bomb laden vehicles from getting into school buildings.

Many schools have armed, uniformed School Resource Officers (SRO) or police officers, a good deterrent. [In 2018, at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, the SRO ran and hid at the first sound of gunfire.] There are serious questions regarding the inability or unwillingness of Uvaldi police officers to enter the school to confront the shooter. Parents were blocked, even detained or tasered when they tried to rescue their children. One determined mother broke free and entered the school to successfully rescue her children.
Arming teachers is an option. SRO’s and armed teachers can be targeted by terrorists. SRO’s need good protective gear and regular refresher training and testing. Solution 4: SROs and teachers trained and equipped to meet the challenge of their jobs along with testing, drills, etc.

Solution 5: Well-trained officers or professionals skilled in profiling people for signs (both obvious and hidden) of dangerous or deadly personality disorders. When students, teachers or others in the school’s environment meet the criteria for possibly or likely becoming dangerous, they must immediately be moved out of the common school environment, isolated, very carefully analyzed, and then provided with competent intervention services up to and including confinement.

Shootings are the most common terrorist activities. Well planned, regularly practiced emergency contingency plans are essential. Such plans are already in place in most schools regarding emergencies such as fires, storms, earthquakes, etc. Rapid, secure evacuation plans for shooters, hostage taking, bombs, chemical, and related planning must be included.
Obviously, the plan at Robb Elementary was ignored. The police were leaderless and confused. This created mayhem that led to children’s deaths.
Every school security (and evacuation) plan must be reviewed, updated, and republished annually; and every individual (including custodial staff, bus drivers, etc.) or official directly involved must sign a statement that they have a copy and have read and understand the plan.

Each of the fifty states has a Department of Public Safety that should independently (independent of questionably competent or illogical bureaucratic monoliths such as the FBI) create their own security and safety programs to identify, train, and support a local cadre of competent local experts in each community. The only federal involvement would be block funding of states’ programs and collating feedback from states.
When compiling your plan, include hospitals, fire departments, national guard, nearby military bases, clergy, etc.

I am expert in security. I have been comprehensibly trained and served as a profiler in federal counter-terrorist, and counter-espionage programs, and as a hostage negotiator. I am available to organize and implement such training programs. I have served (volunteer) on three school boards, and have developed effective, workable large and small scale security and emergency and evacuation plans.

Plans that fail: Obviously, the Robb Elementary plan failed. The comprehensive evacuation plan for the American Embassy in Saigon (1975) was ignored leading to a colossal failure. The Afghanistan evacuation plan (2021) was ignored leading to a monstrous failure.
Plans that work: I played a leadership role in the 1975 evacuation of the American embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where the plan was followed. No disaster ensued!
For 25-years, I served in American Embassies, each of which had a regularly reviewed and updated comprehensive Emergency & Evacuation (E&E) plan.

Follow the principal of the seven P’s!


About James E. Horn

Retired American Diplomat served in American embassies and consulates for 25-years, ten in Islamic societies. I am not a fan of Islam. I do public speaking and have books listed.

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4 thoughts on “School Security Planning

  • Robert Leanza

    Excellent dissertation, Jim. Finally, someone mentioning the obvious – trained teachers with guns. Active shooters fire their weapon an average of every 8 seconds. If the police arrive as rapidly as 3 minutes, that’s around 18 shot people. Time is the most critical element. Teachers who want to do this should be armed and trained to respond within seconds of an active shooter. This will save lives better than anything.

  • Carl A Goldberg

    Bravo to you, Jim! Your advice is supremely valuable, and we can only hope that people in responsible positions will follow it. Instead of spending so many tens of billions of dollars to support the integrity of Ukraine’s borders, we ought to be spending that money to implement your advice!