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One small-town Minnesota school district is taking a unique approach to keeping students safe: The police are moving in. In Jordan, south of Minneapolis, officials looking at school security after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut decided the police would set up satellite offices in public schools. Officers will conduct some of their daily work from the schools, including taking calls and filling out paperwork, while still going out into the community to patrol or respond to emergencies.

NRA Calls for Armed Officers in Schools

WASHINGTON—The nation's most powerful gun-rights lobby called Friday for armed security guards in schools, saying that children had been left vulnerable in their classrooms.

Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, said that "the monsters and the predators of the world" have exploited the fact that schools are gun-free zones. Other important institutions—from banks to airports to sports stadiums—are protected with armed security, he said, but this country has left students defenseless.

It's so hard to think logically about safety. We figure that any time our health or the safety of our children is at stake, it's better safe than sorry. Our safety is too important for logic, damn it!

Unfortunately, this leads to a whole lot of well-publicized and expensive safety measures that are often worthless, or downright dangerous. Like...

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday signed into law a new package of gun regulations intended to fortify New York's existing assault weapons ban, limit the number of bullets in magazines and strengthen rules that keep the mentally ill from owning firearms. The regulations are the nation's first since last month's massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, where a gunman killed 27 people, including 20 young children at an elementary school. Cuomo, a self-described gun owner, said the tragedy had spurred lawmakers to action and called the legislation a "common sense" measure.

What if 1 of the teachers had a gun?
Sandy Hook massacre begs question of how to protect children at school

Does making schools “gun-free zones” really protect children, or make them easy targets?

The recent mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., has left many wondering how best to keep children safe from mad gunmen who ignore the “gun-free zone” laws – and indeed any gun-control laws – to open fire on our nation’s most innocent.

A Colombian company that makes stylish bulletproof clothing has launched a new line of child-sized vests and backpacks in the wake of the elementary school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut.
Miguel Caballero says his firm will begin making bulletproof clothing for children in the next two weeks.
The garments are lightweight and look like normal clothing, but they are capable of stopping a bullet from a pistol or submachine gun.

Another "government schools becoming prisons" article. Soon they will no longer be newsworthy.

State education officials have ordered the emergency financial manager for Detroit Public Schools to immediately implement a plan that balances the district's books by closing half its schools. The Detroit News says the financial restructuring plan will increase high school class sizes to 60 students and consolidate operations. Officials say that the plan would wipe out the district's $327 million deficit by 2014.

There's been a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. We're told "close to 20" people are dead, including at least 10 children. Below are the latest updates as they come to us: [Updated at 12:48 p.m. ET] "Close to 20” people have been killed, including at least 10 children, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation says. [Updated at 12:47 p.m. ET] President Barack Obama has been informed of the school shooting in Connecticut and will receive regular updates throughout the day, the White House said on Friday.