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Our Schools

Fences helping schools to keep outsiders out

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK
Published November 10, 2006

If you've ever visited one of our older schools, you know how easy it is to walk in and roam around, often unseen.

Parking lots abut the back ends of some campuses, closer to the cafeteria than the principal's office where you're supposed to sign in. Porticos and breezeways offer quick passage to classroom doors facing outside.

Once upon a time, such layouts seemed a great way to take advantage of Florida's terrific weather.

Now they just seem like a safety problem.

Although statistics show that most school violence comes from within, recent shootings such as the one at an Amish school in rural Pennsylvania have resurrected safety concerns among Florida's wide-open schools.

Bryant Elementary School, for one, requested additional fencing to keep visitors from accessing the grounds without stopping by the main office first. Principal Karen Bass would have preferred to lock the back parking lot gate, as similarly designed Davis Elementary does, eliminating the problem altogether.

Unlike Davis, though, Bryant has no other significant area for parking, and Bass doesn't want to scare off volunteers and visitors. So she sought a less intrusive solution.

What Bryant will get is new fencing between its exterior columns, much like the ones at Buchanan Middle, effectively separating the school from the parking lot and funneling visitors to the office. It's not the only school that will get new security fencing over the next 90 days, though it is the latest one added to the list.

School officials began evaluating fencing a year ago, setting priorities based on criteria such as the type, location and openness of each site. This year, the school district will spend nearly $600,000 adding security fences to 38 schools.

Some of the larger projects include Bellamy, Lincoln and Seffner elementaries, and Davidsen and McLane middle schools.

"It's an ongoing process," says Capt. Ron Ricucci, assistant manager of school security services. "When a lot of these schools were built, security wasn't an issue. Obviously, it's a big issue now."

Big enough for Cathy Valdes, the district's facilities chief, to convene a committee to look into setting standards for fencing. Right now, she says, there's no consistency in fence planning for schools.

The guiding principles are clear, though.

"The idea is to get the security you need with as little fencing as possible," Valdes says. "You don't just want to fence the perimeter with a chain-link fence and make it look like a prison. The School Board and community have been very vocal about that."

People also have to remember that a fence alone cannot fully protect a campus. More effective is a comprehensive approach to safety that includes prevention education.

Hillsborough schools have worked on that aspect too.

It's more likely that someone at a school will stop you if you don't have a visitor sticker on now than it was two years ago. And if you get to a classroom, you're likely to find a locked door.

Principals and assistant principals are being trained in how to assess the weak points in their school safety plans too. No one wants to wait until something bad happens here before acting.

"We're continuing to evaluate schools," Ricucci says. "It's a proactive measure."

- - -

Here's something you ought to do: Volunteer to speak at the Great American Teach-In.

It's an experience that will give you new respect for teachers.

For one class period - or two or three, if you're bold enough - you stand before a class and tell them about what you do. With any hope at all, it will be interesting enough for someone, anyone, to ask some questions.

Luck be with you if you run out of words after your prepared remarks, and the class stares at you dully, wanting to know only how much money you make. It happens.

As you work your hardest to inform and entertain, think about how teachers do this every day. They don't get the "be respectful to our guest" treatment. They don't get to leave when the bell rings.

You do. Some past participants have hated it so much, they've never gone back. Some have loved it so much they've decided to be teachers. Almost no one walks away without a better understanding of how hard it is to talk to, much less teach, a group of 20 or more youngsters.

The Great American Teach-In takes place on Nov. 15 at every public school in Hillsborough County. Contact the one closest to you, or the sponsoring SERVE Volunteers in Education office at 872-5254, and sign up.

Have opinions about this column, or ideas for future ones? Contact Jeffrey S. Solochek at solochek@sptimes.com or (813) 269-5304.

[Last modified November 9, 2006, 10:43:23]