What makes schools safer? Watchful eyes, experts say.

PORTSMOUTH

Metal detectors, cameras and security guards aren't enough to keep guns out of schools and students safe.

The best defense is eyes and ears trained to recognize and report threats.

That's what school safety experts say two weeks after a shooting at Wilson High, when, police say, a 15-year-old student sneaked in with a gun and fired it.

Portsmouth school officials responded by beefing up security and promising to use metal detectors. But that's not enough, school safety experts say.

"Any type of security equipment, at its best, is a supplement but not a substitute for a well-trained, highly alert staff and student body," said Ken Trump, president of Cleveland-based National School Safety and Security Services.

Peter Blauvelt, president of the West Virginia-based National Alliance for Safe Schools, sounded a similar note.

"The best security in the world is sitting down and talking with kids about what the problems are," Blauvelt said.

Police say the gunman shot into a classroom wall and into the ceiling of a crowded cafeteria. Chaos ensued, but no one was hurt.

The teen charged in the shooting, who had been suspended for disorderly conduct or fighting, is not being named because of his age. The Virginian-Pilot generally does not name juveniles unless they have been charged as adults.

Days after the incident, school officials ordered random metal detector checks and more security and police patrolling the halls. Still some parents and students have complained that it's not enough and asked for security guards stationed at every school door.

"It is very normal for parents and the community to want to demand some type of guarantee and visible, tangible evidence of heightened security immediately after an incident," Trump said. "That puts school officials into a corner and puts very unrealistic expectations on them, because no one can guarantee 100 percent security anywhere, from the school house to the White House."

While Trump said school violence seems to be more prevalent in some communities, he said it's hard to gauge the true number of incidents nationwide.

Still, there's one trend he's seeing, he said, Administrators across the country are dealing with more aggressive behavior and more aggression in younger students, even at the elementary level.

It's emerging at a time when federal, state and local education budgets for school safety programs are being dramatically cut, he said.

Such cuts are happening in Portsmouth.

After several years of increasing security spending, division leaders want to reduce that funding, from about $1.14 million this school year to about $837,000 next school year.

Portsmouth officials have said that putting every person that enters their schools through metal detectors could take away valuable instruction time. Some safety experts also cite the high costs of running them with no guarantee of safety.

Schools that use them only at select times might miss someone entering with a weapon when the detectors are not running, Trump said.

Also, he said, someone with a weapon could come on school grounds and shoot outside, or board a school bus with a weapon.

Stacia Kiestler, a 16-year-old junior at Wilson, said she feels "slightly more secure " with the extra security measures but agreed that staff and students need to be more alert.

"If someone is suspended, you don't let someone in through the side doors," she said. "If you have a friend and they have a gun or a knife and you know about it, you have a responsibility to tell someone, because you never know if they get angry if they'll use it."

Blauvelt said school officials also need to go one step further when suspending students and ask: What is he angry about? Is there a reason that he would be coming back to school for retaliation? Does he have access to a weapon at home?

Depending on what officials learn, Blauvelt said, they should report the suspension to police.

Joseph Wiggins, Portsmouth school division's director of communications, said questions are generally asked when a student is seriously disciplined. He said he did not know whether that happened with the 15-year-old shooting suspect and couldn't discuss it because it is a "student personnel" matter.

The student faces charges of underage possession of a firearm, brandishing a firearm, three counts of discharging a firearm while in a school, and one count of breaking and entering while armed with a deadly weapon.

The commonwealth's attorney is seeking to prosecute him as an adult.

Today, Superintendent David Stuckwisch is expected to report on the Wilson shooting to the School Board in a closed session.

Meanwhile, a more comprehensive review will seek to answer questions such as whether safety procedures were followed and what lessons can be learned from the incident, Wiggins said.

Some Wilson parents and students said school officials should hold a community forum to answer questions and to listen to people's concerns.

"Give people a chance to have their voice heard," said Lisa Kiestler, Stacia's mom.

Wiggins said there are no plans for such a forum, but parents and students should feel assured that officials are thoroughly examining the Wilson shooting. School leaders' top concern is the safety of students and staff, he said.

"If our findings indicate that something needs to be done, we're going to do it."

Cheryl Ross, (757) 446-2443, cheryl.ross@pilotonline.com