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Ever since the December 14th tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, the issue over safety in schools around the nation has heated up. There are new debates over gun control, mental health and whether or not the brutal massacre of 20 children and 6 adults could have been prevented. Many districts in New Jersey have been hard at work ironing out new security measures and working to ensure safety of all students and staff in pre, elementary, middle, high schools and colleges. So far, one district is taking some new steps that have led to mixed feelings and raised some eyebrows.

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 gunman opened fire Friday inside a Connecticut elementary school, and several people are dead, including multiple children and the shooter, Fox News confirms. A law enforcement official said the shooter is believed to be a father of one of the students at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. Authorities said the gunman, who was not identified, is dead. An official with knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press that the man apparently had two guns. Earlier reports of a second gunman are unconfirmed.

A 12-year-old Minnesota girl was reduced to tears while school officials and a police officer rummaged through her private Facebook postings after forcing her to surrender her password, an ACLU lawsuit alleges. The claims are the latest in a string of tales showing that even password-protected, private online activities might not be safe from curious government agencies and schools.

In the United States today, our public schools are not very good at educating our students, but they sure are great training grounds for learning how to live in a Big Brother police state control grid. Sadly, life in many U.S. public schools is now essentially equivalent to life in U.S. prisons. Most parents don't realize this, but our students have very few rights when they are in school. Our public school students are being watched, tracked, recorded

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.

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.

Los Angeles (CNN) -- A police officer in Los Angeles who claimed he was shot while patrolling near a high school has now been arrested for making up the story, authorities said.
Officer Jeff Stenroos of the Los Angeles Unified School District Police Department had said he was shot in the chest on January 19 in the west San Fernando Valley. He said the shooting happened when he got out of his squad car to check on a man peering into parked vehicles near the El Camino High School.

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.