SUNRISE, FLA. (WSVN) - The Parkland commission tasked with investigating system failures from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas heard from a person with longtime expertise in school shootings.
Guy Grace, the director of security and emergency planning for Littleton Public Schools in Colorado shared some insight he’s learned after going through similar tragedies like what Parkland residents experienced, Wednesday.
Grace has had more than 30 years of experience in the field and shared his expertise with the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission.
“It’s all of us, all of us have a vested mission to protect our schools,” Grace told 7News.
He’s seen a lot from the Columbine High School massacre that rocked the Littleton District and the country to the Arapahoe High School shooting in Colorado.
“We can share our lessons learned about how we improved our physical security,” Grace said.
He talked about installing classroom locks that can be locked from the inside and about reducing school entrances.
Grace also spoke about the importance of not only upgrading older security systems, but having the staff to maintain them.
“We can put all the greatest things into our school district, but if we don’t have the personnel to manage and operate that technology and we don’t have the staff in the school, you’re going to make your situation far worse,” Grace said.
The commission, established after the Parkland shooting, is composed of law enforcement officers, politicians, mental health professionals, teachers and parents of victims.
Their goal is to analyze information from this tragedy and others to find out what went wrong and what improvements can be made.
Commission member Max Schacter, who lost his son Alex in the Stoneman Douglas shooting, explained that while he’s grateful for Grace’s insight, he’s still upset with the Broward school district.
“I thank Guy for coming here today and bringing all his knowledge, but it really upsets me because there is no one in this district that has his knowledge,” Schacter said. “I don’t have any children that are going to Marjory Stoneman Douglas, but if I did, I would not feel safe.”
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