I live and have lived in a very different place it seems. Reno (or the area surrounding it) has the nickname of Sin City but it's really a small community where the seven degrees of separation rarely takes that long to reach.
When I was 5 years old, a little girl (the same age as me in fact) was kidnapped, raped and murdered (for the first time ever in this community) and I vividly remember at age 5, how it seemed as though the whole community "lost it's mind" in keeping us safe. I remember suddenly being afraid to be a kid. I haven't seen that level of hysteria here since but you said you wanted to take this nationally and apparently, we have addressed this to some degree because voters do not stroll past classrooms here to vote. There are many communities where, if voting does not happen at a school, they will have to drive several miles to get somewhere else. My mother rides a Rascal that can take her about 5 miles, she would not get out and vote on her own if they moved them.
As for the security following Columbine or even 9-11, our schools have remained basically the same. We have no schools with metal detectors or the like. Schools do not lock their front doors. If I sounded angry it's probably because I was speaking from a place where I remember what it felt like as a 5 year old when my world was deemed "unsafe".

The issue for me is where does it stop? Does my church lock it's doors after service starts on Sunday because a terrorist can hit the Sunday school?

Consider this, 500 children annually between the ages of 5-9, die in auto accidents. Less than 1% of all homicides occur in, around, to or from school,(age 5-19 years) Between 1994-1999 220 total school associated violent incidences occured in 253 deaths, that is an average of 42.16 per year. Nearly 12 times more young children are killed in car accidents annually based solely on the ages 5-9 years of age.

Do you now, in order to keep our children safe, insist that children not be allowed to ride in a motor vehicle?

As quoted from Healthlink- "Living in fear means that we expose our children to our own spoken anxieties and burden them with our versions of the potential reality of what may occur."

Thanks for all of your responses concerning pollin stations in public schools. We got the media involved and the issue really took off. It was amazing how many folks said, "I never really thought about it, but it does not make sense to have polling places in schools." Our school board met tonight, this was on the agenda, and after listening to the community debate, they decided to close school on Election Day. They agreed to work with the County Election Board to find other polling places in our county for the next election in two years, and move them out of our schools for good. Thanks for everyones advice, input and help!

Hey Marc, I'm a "hop, skip and a jump from you in Denver so you can about imagine what it's been like since Columbine..."forget" 9/11 (you know what I mean) that school has had more affect on our Charter SChool and it's safety.

My first election in Colorado I spent two hours driving around looking for my polling place. I was really kind of surprised to be able to just walk into a school and have no one question me or my business (my voting poll ended up being the City Hall- the first place I should have gone! ) but I just found it amazing an average "joe" could just walk into a school no questions asked!

At our new facilities we have a vestabul that you are greated at before coming into the school. We also have several security measures that were implemented from the same concerns and issues I had entering ect other schools.

In our area many churches are used as voting places but there are a couple school and I beleive they still have school that day.

At any rate, vote absentee and let your local officals know why.

Our school is used for voting. I have an issue with it because every day, except voting day, our doors are to remained locked. In the morning each teacher comes to an assingned door to bring their students in. After the bell rings,anyone that needs to enter our school has to ring a doorbell and someone in the office will ring them in. They have a monitor to see who is outside. My issue is why can we keep the doors open for voting but we can't keep them open every other day. I don't want them open, I like the fact that they are locked. Even though deep down, I know that if someone really wants to get in they can and will.

rocket,

I don’t think that anyone is questioning your character they are providing their thought as you requested. I, for one, did not realize that you wanted thoughts on how to approach the district in an attempt to close or at least take extra security measures on Election Day. Now that I understand your original post let me take a shot at helping you proceed. These thoughts are not necessarily in a particular order.

· Attend school board meetings to get to know the members & their views.

· Get input from the administration & staff at your school regarding the issue.

· Get input from other parents & get committed parents to join you in an organized committee to take this issue to the district. Remember “We” is more powerful than “Me”.

· Research schools that have taken such measures. Preferably as many and as close to your area as possible.

· Determine the process they used. Find out what they had problems with so that you are prepared when you are confronted with similar concerns. Communicate with them with a broad perspective.

· Have defensible data (examples) to support your concerns and request. Personally, I would steer away from using 9-11 and Columbine, not only because they were not during an election but also because they are “hot button” occasions that will likely draw your issue to arguments that will blur your anticipated outcome of increased security on election day.

· Organize it and approach the proper authorities using their protocol.

· Be prepared for frustration! I think you might have gotten a taste of that here. I’m sorry for that, it was not my, and I doubt anyone elses, intent.

· Don’t expect a change close to an election. This will take some time; 1 – 2 years would not surprise me.

I’m sure that there is more but I think that this will give you some of the thoughts you were looking for originally.

I can see that this issue is important to you and I’m sure that everyone here respects that. By all means pursue it! When God lays something on our heart we must listen and obey. May His Will be done. Please keep us updated on your progress.

Hope this Helps,
Marc

I have a few thoughts on this issue. Our schools were used as polling places for years. After 9/11, other nearby places were found. I thought the change was unneccessary, as other posters said, if a criminal wants to do something bad there are many other days when many parents are in the buildings that would be easier. We used to have a bake sale that brought in a couple of hundred dollars and provided homebaked treats, much appreciated by local citizens. Our kids were taken down as a class to the gym to see the process and cast their own votes in a special box. I thought it was nice and wholesome.

The overused word "liberal" which is seeming interchangeable with evildoer. According to the dictionary the definition of liberal is,"Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry.
Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded" Sounds like a good thing doesn't it? I for one, like a liberal news media.