I read the article, “School gun mixup leads to lockdown,” in the Kennebec Journal on March 11 about the trooper who entered Helen Thompson school with a gun.
Why did the trooper have access to wander around inside the school? When I have picked up my grandkids at three different schools in RSU 11, I go to the office, sign in, show ID and they bring the child to the office; I don’t go to the child.
Whether or not the person was a trooper doesn’t seem to have anything to do with this incident. If a person has access to wander around the school to go to the child, that person could take anyone’s child and leave through any number of exits.
The fact that the principal didn’t stay in the office and call 911 seems like a small part of what’s wrong with this scenario. Anyone can show a “badge” if they really want to. Not everyone displaying a badge is in law enforcement. There are imposters. Of course, most law enforcement officers are here to serve and protect, but there also have been law enforcement officers who have cracked under pressure and harmed people.
It’s simply bad policy to let anyone have access to all those children when the child can simply be called to the office. This isn’t a 1950 world anymore. RSU 11 should protect the children entrusted to it each day.
Julianne MacMasterGardiner
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