The March for Our Lives showed how our children were and are able to tackle issues that have gone unsolved as the National Rifle Association has maintained a stranglehold on many of our politicians through huge donations to their political campaigns.

However, there are things we can do right now to keep our children safer until many of the new laws and regulations are passed and go into effect.

The young man who was the killer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida was a former student at that school himself. He reportedly was in and out of that school several times the very day he fatally shot 17 people and wounded many others.

In many, and perhaps most, schools in Maine, once the school day has begun, the doors are locked and anyone wanting to enter the building must be buzzed in by a school employee.

However, many schools have before- and after-care programs that obviously start well before the school day. Those parents and participating students may enter the buildings without any identification or even a staff member present to monitor the entrance. In addition, those parents and designated persons picking up students after school who do not ride the school bus may enter many schools as soon as the door is unlocked, showing no identification until they are inside the building.

Many high school students enter and leave their buildings many times during the day, for various reasons, without any security in place.

Many changes to provide tighter security in our schools will cost thousands, if not millions, of dollars in building renovations, such as major entrance and exit construction, glass replacement, security cameras, bulletproof classroom doors with locks that can be activated remotely. The list goes on and on.

However, tightening up the school buildings’ security should and could be accomplished at this point without a lot of additional expense. Surely the lives of our children and school staff are well worth the effort.

Maybelle Blanchard

Portland

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