The tragic mass shooting in Parkland, Florida in February has sparked a national conversation about school safety. Here in Queens, like in the rest of the country, this issue is the primary topic of discussion among members of the educational community.

Over the last several weeks there have been many different suggestions put forth about how to make our schools safer. One idea that has generated interest and deserves consideration is reversing the Department of Education (DOE) policy that prohibits school principals from keeping the front door locked from the outside during the day. The importance of allowing Principals the discretion to lock the doors to their schools was highlighted just two weeks ago when a suspicious man entered P.S. 184 multiple times and needed to be escorted out by security. These events ignited serious concerns among parents and teachers. Future incidents such as these may be prevented if Principals are allowed to lock the doors to their schools while classes are in session.

“Current DOE policy requires that school principals keep the front door of their school unlocked during the day. This allows an individual to enter the building before a determination can be made if they represent a danger or not. This deviates from the practice at many private schools where visitors must ring a bell and announce themselves before being permitted entry,” said Assemblyman Edward C. Braunstein. “Granting public school principals this same authority to confirm whether or not an individual represents a threat before allowing them into a school could prevent dangerous incidents from taking place. It is a change we must consider.”

“When it comes to our students’ safety, we need to be proactive, not reactive, and Principals should have the autonomy to decide when they think it is appropriate to preemptively lock their school entrances,” said Council Member Paul Vallone. “Incidents like the one at P.S. 184 clearly show that our students are not as safe as we think and changes need to be made to make sure that they can learn and grow in the safest environment possible. This request is just the first step in a series of changes that must be made. This must remain our top priority from here on out as we lead the charge for safety in our schools.”