Research of Sandy Hook Elementary, the New and Improved
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Abstract
School safety has been a part of the political discussion all over the world about both large scale (a country) and small (a city). According to US News, for the school year 2020-2021 alone, there were a total of 93 schools that had an active shooter that resulted with casualties (not including threats), and according to EdWeek, there have been 30 school shootings where there were injuries, including 28 people killed, just in the year 2022 so far. The fact that these numbers keep increasing from previous decades, and that the school year is just starting after having to combat a pandemic, people and families fear sending their kids to schools for more reasons than one.
That is why I am studying possible floor plans and materials that ideally prevent the event from happening, or if the tragic event occurs, then the possibility for reinforcements to arrive before there are injuries is greater. I plan on using AnyLogic to study the average foot traffic of secondary age students as well as to see how an emergency plays out. I will stimulate both one and multiple shooters, and the police department on scene right away and later. Once I have a floor plan that can help students stay safe, I will research materials that are thicker and stronger to prevent bullets going through.
Safety is always the number one concern to parents and school officials, that is why I believe that the floor plans and materials can be strategically chosen to provide more safety for students and staff.