To the Editor:

While debate continues over adjusting our gun control and mental health laws, I urge our communities to consider upgrading school security to much higher standards.

My career focus was the handling of large sums of physical money generated by a variety of businesses. These businesses have “money rooms” that are very secure. It is assumed during their design that at some point somebody would try to break in because of the valuable contents held within. All weapon types are considered — not just guns.

Not all money room building specifications and security tools and procedures would be reasonable for a school setting, and of course there are costs involved. The keys are tight control of ingress/egress, barriers that are vehicle-proof; windows, walls and doors that are weapons-proof, and scanning equipment that can quickly detect weapons while their carrier is isolated.

Larger money rooms have multiple armed guards on-site in a secure room. They control access. Well-designed money rooms are pleasant, like any nice office space.

I can say without hesitation that shootings inside schools would be far less likely should schools obtain security approaching that of the thousands of money rooms across our country.

For those wondering “What can we do?” This is something we can do, and soon.

As we learned here almost ten years ago, there is nothing more valuable, more precious, than the “contents” of our schools.

Scott Conant

Newtown, CT