Today we had another two-hour delay due to a wind chill advisory. The cold doesn't bother me too much. My feet are nerve-damaged, my body burns hot, and I'm from Welsh-Celt stock. But truth be told at about this time of year, I'm ready to go find Punxutawney Phil and punch the wee beasty in the schnoz!
Not a lot happening on the school safety front today, but I had a few moments to think about a current event that has me thinking. The news was reporting that the terror group al-Shabaab called for attacks on the Mall of America in Minnesota. Secretary Jeh Johnson was on TV Sunday telling Americans that this signaled a "new phase" in the War on Terror.
So of course, I started thinking of schools as terror targets. At this time it is highly unlikely, but schools have been targeted around the world. Schools are soft targets, and the effect of an attack on schools in America would be catastrophic. In 2002 the Beltway Snipers in the Washington, DC area created millions in economic damage. A 13-year old boy was wounded in front of his school in Bowie, Maryland, and parents began keeping their kids home, and staying home themselves.
Michael Dorn and Chris Dorn wrote a book, Innocent Targets - When Terrorism Comes to Schools, that goes into detail concerning school terrorism. The nice thing is, the book helps to dispel the alarmist view that many people have, while offering practical solutions to help schools prepare.
The good news is that schools are better prepared now than they were on September 11, 2001. The bad news is that schools still remain soft targets, and I hope and pray that a school or schools in the U.S. don't become a target.
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