CAMP HILL, Pa. — Americans are reeling after Tuesday’s school shooting in Uvalde, Texas that resulted in the deaths of at least 19 children and two adults. The tragedy is causing school administrators in Pennsylvania to reflect on their own school security.
“'This could’ve been us.' That’s what you hear a lot," said Joey Melvin, the director for the Center for Safe Schools. "In a lot of the meetings that I had last night and today with school superintendents, administrators and teachers – these are the conversations that they’re having.”
Center for Safe Schools is an organization dedicated to providing school security resources. Melvin says it helps give schools the tools necessary to stop what he calls “the pathway to violence.”
“The theory that someone just snaps or that these events are impulsive is unfortunately not true," explained Melvin. "One of the things that we teach with schools a lot is behavioral health management [and] having threat assessment teams, so that as incidents of concern are reported, the schools are prepared to respond to that.”
Melvin says Center for Safe Schools is in constant contact with school districts in order to help them provide the safest learning environment possible.
“It’s important for parents to know that our schools are extremely safe. We take a lot of precautions, and parents should really have that conversation with their child, and do that at an age appropriate level.”
Some police departments are also reassuring parents.
The Lititz Borough Police Department released a statement reassuring parents that no known threats have been detected, and that the police department is committed to working with local school officials to protect students.