North Park Elementary Shooting
It is a parents worst nightmare. The North Park Elementary shooting is the latest shooting to cause parents hearts to come out of their chest.
Here is what we know. An individual (male I believe) entered the elementary school and checked in with the front desk before going to the targeted classroom. At this point until we get the full story, is speculation. It appears the individual was armed, and was motivated to perform a murder suicide. He was successful. (He) murdered an adult female, and somehow two students were injured. The individual took (his) own life at that point. The police did an outstanding job in responding. Their on site reaction time was four minutes. Again, and they will tell you the same- they are reactionary.
We know that one student was flown by helicopter to a hospital, the other taken by ambulance. The rest of the students have been transported to a “safer” area and are being reunited with their families.
Two adults died in a shooting Monday in a classroom at San Bernardino, California’s North Park Elementary School, in what is believed to be a murder-suicide, San Bernardino police said.
Source: San Bernardino shooting: 2 dead in murder-suicide, police say – CNN.com
First look and Analysis
Before my first child was born, a close family friend told me this. ” Know this. When you have kids, a part of your heart is forever outside of you.” At this point I must say, spot on. Our prayers go out to all families affected by this event.
This appears at first sniff to be a “shooting of passion”. Relationship gone really bad. The worst part of this is it spilled over and resulted in death and injury. At an elementary school. This highlights the ongoing issue of how we must take a fresh look at keeping our children and educators safe. It is our opinion that the current standard of “run, hide, fight” falls short.
Schools are going to have to do a ground up revision of procedures and practices related to safety and security readiness.
Initial Response AKA What You Can Do Today
If you are a parent with kids and all is well, hug your kids. Then do this.

* Have the age appropriate conversation with them about evil people and the possibility of bad things happening
* Their safety is in their hands, for the most part
* Make a plan with them of what they should do if something bad happens at school, home, or wherever
* Make a plan to speak with school administrators and teachers to begin the conversation toward a better plan
* Be kind to the teachers, this is not their fault. They are as much at risk as your kids
* Tell your children you love them, every day

If you are a teacher and educator:

* Be very clear in your understanding that bad things can and do happen
* Understand that your safety is in your hands
* Talk to your admins and fellow educators about current training standards and begin to push for improvements
* Make a plan with yourself, your fellow teachers, and your class. This is above and beyond what your current policy states
* Let your students parents know that you are on their side
* Hug your family and friends at the end of your day

We will do a follow up episode later this week to fill in the gaps of information.
We are Full Circle Systems Security & Defense
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us by clicking here. Also, you can call us toll free at 1-877-474-6050. Don’t let another day go by without a good plan in place and trained people. We are here to serve you.