Lewiston’s Schools Superintendent Bill Webster stated “The new Connors Elementary school under construction … won’t have any bullet-proof doors or windows.” That is so shortsighted. Building a new school is the time to at least deal with entrance doors that have glass. Some could be changed for solid doors. Some glass walls could be made solid, reducing the cost for bullet-proof glass. The amount of glass in entrance doors can be reduced. Glass walls and doors are easy for a shooter to breach.

Webster said that all halls, exits and entrances will have cameras that are connected to the Lewiston Police Department. Even if true, the rest of the facts (according to the LPD’s Sandra Brown) are that there is no trained security person watching the screens at all times at the LPD. The Lewiston School Department currently has no security person doing that job at any school with cameras.

That is not a preventive, active security system that can see a problem developing. It is a passive system to use after/during something happening — to play back to see what happened after the fact.

No security person will see someone come in a back door and react immediately. There needs to be full-time trained security personnel monitoring the cameras to make it a true “security” system. Cameras watching halls and doors provide little security if not monitored at all times to protect students, staff and faculty.

Crystal Ward, Lewiston