LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Active shooter training, metal detectors, school resource officers. Columbine, Newtown, Parkland, Marshall County. The aftermath of deadly school shootings in Kentucky and across the nation leaves parents, policymakers and the public wondering how to effectively prevent them in the future and ensure student safety.
The University of Louisville’s College of Arts and Sciences is offering a free, public school security symposium April 19 leading up to the planned national demonstrations April 20 on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shootings that left 15 dead.
The symposium – “The Science of School Security: Research on the Prevention of and Response to School Violence and School Shootings” – will begin at 6 p.m. in Middleton Auditorium, Strickler Hall, with a question-and-answer session and informal networking reception afterward.
Discussion will focus on research into the effectiveness and drawbacks of specific school security measures, including school resource officers, metal detectors, increased surveillance and student searches. Speakers also will recommend the best actions schools should take in reaction to active shooting incidents when school security measures fail.
Panelists will be researchers Benjamin Fisher, criminal justice assistant professor, UofL; Thomas Mowen, sociology assistant professor, Bowling Green State University; Cheryl Lero Johnson, criminal justice assistant professor, Xavier University; and Melissa Moon, criminal justice associate professor, Northern Kentucky University.
Although the event is free, seating is limited and registration is recommended here. To order a $9.75 boxed meal and bottled water, registration and payment are required by April 15. Groups of five or more should register by contacting lindsey.ronay@louisville.edu.
Parking is available in lots across from and adjacent to the School of Music off the Cardinal Boulevard campus entrance or in the Speed Art Museum pay garage on Third Street.
For more information, contact Ryan Schroeder at 502-852-8010 or rdschr01@louisville.edu.
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