While we argue about guns, let's fix school security

The responsibility to protect our children in schools across America is something that requires the voice of every citizen. We can’t do it alone, and we can’t accomplish this task with political warfare occurring between us.

We can’t let disagreement in the halls of our state legislatures, Congress, school boards, sidewalks or local communities divide us and prevent us from getting done the reforms we know we can agree on. We can fix the weaknesses in our schools’ security with practical changes in the short term, while the more contentious issues surrounding firearm policy play out over the long term. There are basic, important and life-protecting policies we can enact right now to fix the problem of violence in our schools.

Americans for Children’s Lives and School Safety has produced an eight-point plan to protect our children and our schools, and it revolves around basic security principles. If enacted, our recommendations would elevate our school safety to the same level as sports arenas, government buildings, courthouses and military bases. We currently protect our adults, protect our politicians and protect our public buildings, and it is imperative we protect our children using comparable security protocols.