McGuinty wants locked-door policy at all Ont. elementary schools

Following the Connecticut school shooting, Premier Dalton McGuinty is pushing for a locked-door policy at all Ontario elementary schools that’s expected to cost $10 million.

“In the aftermath of that tragic event that unfolded in the U.S., I think there’s an important question we need to ask ourselves. Are we taking all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of our kids at school?” McGuinty said at a Toronto school on Thursday.

The program, which would be in place next September and also calls for video cameras outside school doors, is already in place at 850 of the province’s 4,000 elementary schools.

At first, the funding was only available to schools where the main entrance could not be seen from the office.

In the wake of the Newton, Conn., massacre that saw 20 students and six adults killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School, McGuinty is calling for cameras at all schools.

“We need to assure parents that all elementary schools are locked during the day and we are controlling access to our elementary schools,” he said.

McGuinty said the government was working to make schools safer in many ways, including cracking down on bullying, supporting gay-straight alliances and implementing mandatory lockdown drills.

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