The mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Connecticut on Friday, Dec. 14, has given all parents and families great pause to wonder: Could this happen here? The unfortunate answer is yes, it can. We need to re-examine every school building following the Dec. 14 events. We have to ask the tough questions: Is access controlled enough to keep out someone carrying a firearm? Does the school have an emergency plan to shelter in place if these kinds of events unfold? Does every classroom have a lockable door?

As we listened to accounts of teachers locking classroom doors, moving kids to closets and trying to protect their kids, I was reminded that some classrooms in Calvert County have no doors. I am sure whoever designed these classrooms had a good idea that seemed important at the time, but today, every classroom must have a lockable door.

I urge the Calvert County commissioners to take up this issue at their next meeting. The lives of our greatest resource, our kids, may be at stake.

Herbert Butler, Lusby