Vice presidential candidates clash over school security solutions ahead of the election

UVALDE, Texas – With just over a month until the November election, candidates are pitching their solutions to school shootings. It is an important issue in our region as it has been almost two and a half years since the mass shooting in Uvalde.

In the vice presidential debate earlier this week, the two candidates disagreed over how best to prevent school shootings in the future.

“We need to increase security in our schools. We have to make sure the doors are locked better. We have to make the doors stronger. We have to make the windows stronger. And of course we need to increase the number of school resource officers,” said Senator JD Vance, the Republican nominee for vice president.

The idea of ​​strengthening school infrastructure to prevent shootings is not new. Texas Senator Ted Cruz specifically pointed out doors after the Robb Elementary shooting in 2022.

“Do you want to talk about how we could have prevented the horror that happened across the street? The murderer here entered the same way as the murderer in Santa Fe. Through a back door. An unlocked back door,” Cruz told reporters.

Cruz proposed a school entry point protected by armed police.

But “Lives Robbed” sees it differently. This group represents some families of children killed at Robb Elementary.

When a politician says the solution to ending school shootings is stronger doors or more guns on campuses, they are either feigning ignorance or deliberately lying.

In one shooting after another, we have seen inadequate physical security, armed personnel and law enforcement.

It’s the weapons. We know it and they know it.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz said during the debate that the solution isn’t to take away guns from law-abiding citizens, but neither is it to make schools look like a fortress.

“There are common sense things we can do to make a difference. It doesn’t violate your Second Amendment,” Walz said at the debate.

School security expert Drew Deatherage says doors are a good line of defense for schools, but a complete solution requires a layered approach.

“Keeping students safe in our communities and schools is a very holistic effort. “It’s not easy,” said Deatherage, vice president of business development at CRUX Solutions. “It requires many levels. It requires people and policies and technology and good maintenance of our facilities.”

As we’ve previously reported, the state of Texas has made investments to ensure outdoor security, such as doors, is addressed. Most importantly, tests to detect intruders are now carried out on every campus. School staff are also required to check the doors.

“An unlocked door is an easy way out for someone with evil intentions,” Deatherage said. “While we must invest in other proactive and reactive measures to ensure the safety of students and staff, one of the most basic things is door locks. “Are these doors functioning properly?”