Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/274063
READ MORE ON PAGE 30. make schools open and accessible to shooters, too. Czajkowski has shown fellow educators how they can use cheap magnets to keep doors from opening. "Internally locking doors are ideal, but they are expensive to retrofit. My schools keep older externally-locking doors routinely locked but held slightly ajar with a short stack of inexpensive refrigerator style magnets. To secure the door during daily or emergency situations, you remove the magnets. This avoids fumbling with keys or exposure to an outside threat." In addition to training staff in standard lockdown proce- dures that include locking the door from the inside, closing the blinds and having cellphones powered off, he shows edu- cators how to build strong barricades to protect classrooms. "Never give up during an attack," says Czajkowski. "During the Virginia Tech shooting, some people successfully bar- ricaded classrooms to deny the killer access. Others leapt out second-story windows to save their lives. Quick thinking, communication and leadership also saved lives at Columbine and other places." Fighting back should always be viewed as a "last-resort offensive option" for teachers when evasion or evacuation is not possible, says Czajkowski, who has demonstrated to a few employees on each campus, including teachers, how to use a fire extinguisher or other tools to fend off an armed intrud- er. Real training in fighting back can take weeks or months to acquire competency, he emphasizes. "I don't want people to have a false sense of confidence about this," he says. "A lot of things can go wrong. That's why fighting back should always be a last-ditch effort." Ways of being proactive "We are mostly telling people they have options," says Marianne Alvarez of the ALICE Training Institute. "We tell children to fight and run for their lives if there is 'stranger danger,' so why tell them to sit in the corner if there's danger in their school? Statistically, when everybody gets in a corner, it makes one big easy target for a shooter to hit." ALICE training calls for educators to use whatever tactical advantage they have available — especially outnumbering the assailants. Teachers and students can make barricades out of desks, chairs and heavy objects, making it difficult for a shooter to enter. Older students can be taught to throw chairs, desks, books and heavy objects to distract a shooter, and move constantly, interfering with the intruder's ability to shoot accu- rately. Fire extinguishers can be sprayed, thrown or used to hit someone. Younger children can be taught to run around and provide a distraction so others can escape. In the Columbine library, where 10 were killed and Despite the odds against it happening, Czajkowski thinks school employees should be prepared. Since the attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School, he has been using his skills and expertise as security manager and Security Work Group chairman for Sweetwater Union High School District. He's well qualified: Before becoming an English and music theory teacher at Bonita Vista High School in Chula Vista, John Czajkowski graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and served as a Navy Seal leader from 1989 to 1997. Under his guidance, teams from each school in the district have been trained in the Cornel threat assessment model, to determine how dangerous a threat may. (For example, did a student say "I'll kill you" in jest, or was there something be- hind it? Has a student's behavior changed in a way that should alarm teachers?) His district recently implemented Positive Behavior Intervention Support programs, anti-bullying pro- grams and a method for students to anonymously report tips if they anticipate violence. "It's not just about security. It's about teachers and staff developing relationships with students and developing an effective system of communication," says the Sweetwater Education Association member, who teaches Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes. "In most mass killings on school campuses, someone knew the kid was going to do something and the information was not acted upon. So many incidents could have been prevented." Building safety has also been improved under his guidance. Mylar, a film that makes most windows resistant to bullets, has been used to cover windows in some school sites where staff were vulnerable. He comments that glass makes schools appear to be open and accessible environments, but can www.cta.org 29 M A R C H 2 0 1 4 Educator 03 Mar 2014 v2.0 int.indd 29 3/6/14 10:52 AM