LYNCHBURG, Va. – Lynchburg City Schools is working to add another layer of security to protect its students and staff.
The idea came to Lynchburg resident and chairman of the Safe Schools Lynchburg task force, Rick Read, after hearing the news of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, about a year ago.
“I was sitting at home sad, sick to my stomach, mad. I said, ‘What can I do? What can we do?’” Read said.
The task force started looking at ways to enhance school safety in the Hill City.
They found 3M Protective Security Film for glass doors and windows.
“Once you put it on the glass, you can shoot through it numerous times, and it still delays a perpetrator from getting inside,” Read said. “The longer we can delay a perpetrator, that gives law enforcement more time to get there.”
Lynchburg Police Chief Ryan Zuidema says when responding to a school threat, every second counts.
“Anytime we have any the ability to delay or deny access into the building, those seconds are critical,” Chief Zuidema said. “Obviously, if there is some kind of critical incident we are going to be getting as many officers here as quickly as we can.”
To bring these plans to life, Safe Schools Lynchburg, Lynchburg Police and Lynchburg City Schools are calling on the community to help raise $65,000 to start the initiative at E.C. Glass High School.
“We are excited to pilot it here at E.C. Glass, not only on the vestibule but all the windows on the first floor,” Lynchburg Superintendent, Dr. Crystal Edwards said.
Officials plan to have the film installed through E.C. Glass by the start of the new school year.
They hope to start installing the film in other schools in Lynchburg once more funds are collected.