The December massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., sent a chill through school officials everywhere. The school had a top-notch safety program in place, yet 20 first-graders and six adults lay dead.
The school had security cameras and a single entry point. During school hours, visitors had to be identified before they were buzzed through the gate. Teachers, staff and students regularly drilled, as did police and fire personnel from Newtown. None of it kept a lone gunman from shooting his way onto campus.
Could it happen here? What can or should we do to prevent it? Such questions are being asked in communities across the nation.