Schools security in US beefed up after Texas shooting

Schools security in the US beefed up after Texas shooting: Following the elementary school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, schools have tightened security and have restricted visitors in order to deal with a new wave of copycat threats. For many, the emergence of new technologies has caused unease in the wake of recent events.

Jake Green, a 34-year-old resident of Los Alamos, New Mexico, was shocked to see an undercover police officer at his daughter’s school this morning. Growing up in nearby Colorado, he remembers attending candlelight vigils after the Columbine High School Massacre. He is torn over whether or not this is a good idea. While Green admitted that the police did make him feel safer, he also said that seeing the police made the worst scenario seem even more possible because it is currently happening in places like Baton Rouge, Dallas, and Rouen. In El Paso, Texas, schools are on edge after a racist attack killed 23 people in 2019. The El Paso Independent School District has encountered some false threats that turned out to be jokes or overly-sensitive parents.

“Our community is still raw from that incident,” Acosta said. “It hits us in a pretty emotional way.”

To keep kids safe, the school district has increased police presence at all 85 campuses. Officers have been pulled from traffic or other duties. Schools already have updated camera systems and visitors have to ring a doorbell before entering. In the wake of the Uvalde shooting, counselors are visiting schools and urging people to speak about their distress in private. Mia Baucom, a 15-year-old from Forth Worth Texas said it was surreal to know the Uvalde killings occurred in her home state. She also said that she was reminded of the lockdown at her hometown school two months ago after a shooting.