10 Year Old Brings Loaded Gun Into a Baldwin Elementary School

A 10-year-old brought a loaded handgun with a round in the chamber and additional rounds in the magazine into a Baldwin Elementary School.

The keen observation and quick response by a lunch monitor avoided what could have been another school tragedy. This incident should remind us all to keep the issue of school safety as the number one concern of every district on Long Island. The fact that a lunch monitor, in this case, investigated the suspicious activity by the 10-year-old demonstrates how important it is for everyone to be involved in school safety and security.

However, this is another example of a reactive response to a school safety incident. The student did get into the school with a handgun and that is a real problem. There needs to be a more proactive approach to school safety. We spend most of our time and money in response and mitigation to an emergency and very little on prevention.

Are students, in every grade level, instructed on see or hear something, say something? Did this student tell any friends about the gun while on the bus or while walking to school? Was there any monitor at the entrance to the building or protocols for searching bags and backpacks? Should there be metal detectors at school entrances? These and many other proactive approaches need to be the focus of school boards, staff and parents.

As a parent, grandparent and an expert on school safety and security, I was happy to see that an observant staff member prevented a tragedy but the main focus should be on the fact that this student was able to enter the building with a loaded handgun.