Makes you wonder what they actually did during the "active shooter" training that was done. Dynamic entry of a classroom would seem to be something recommended to practice. But the news about this whole event shows no one believed anything would ever happen and didn't take security seriously.
They never do -- that's the crux of the problem.
The Sandy Hook Elementary School had
just installed a new security system. It was a 2-way intercom that allowed staff in the front office to identify visitors before buzzing them in. Ever hear the expression "Locks are made for honest people"? The school put in their intercom system, but nobody bothered to think about the fact that the front doors -- and large windows on either side of the front doors -- were plate glass. Not bullet-resistant plate glass -- that costs money -- just plain old, garden variety tempered glass. When you shoot tempered glass you don't get a bullet hole -- the entire pane shatters into pieces about the size of peas, or small marbles.
My local high school did a major addition and renovation not long after Columbine.
SECURITY was the mantra. Yet the architects called for large plate glass (tempered, not bullet-resistant) sidelights adjacent to every classroom in the new addition. I pointed out that this was a major security issue. The deputy chief of police was consulted, and he agreed that was "dumb." The formal response from the school board was, "The architect likes them." So they stayed.
In the aftermath of Sandy Hook, the town next to mine proudly announced that they had upgraded security at their grammar school. What they did, of course, was top secret, so I wasn't able to get any answers through normal channels. However, I had known the building inspector there for more than 30 years, since he was just starting a contracting business. So I called him and asked him what the new security system was. He laughed (in an unpleasant way). They installed the exact same system that DIDN'T work at Sandy Hook.
The bottom line is that school boards pay lip service to school security but they don't know what that really requires, and they aren't willing to expend the effort to educate themselves. Instead, the elected school boards rely on advice from the "experts." The superintendent isn't interested in spending big bucks to harden the building. They'd much prefer to spend any money they can get their hands on to increase staff, giving them more useless people to supervise and, therefore, more justification for a higher salary. Architects aren't interested in spending money on ballistic-resistant glass. They want to make the buildings beautiful, so the photos will look good on their web site and in the architecture magazines.