Alex Schachter, 14, resided in Parkland, Florida for the last eight years. Alex was tragically killed during the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018. Alex was one of the first students to be killed when the shooter unlawfully entered the Freshman building armed with an AR-15 that he aimed through a window outside of his classroom, preying on the defenseless and senselessly taking Alex and his classmates away from their family and friends forever. He is survived by his heartbroken parents , three siblings, grandparents and countless cousins, aunts, uncles and friends. In an effort to protect all our children and teachers, the Safe Schools For Alex campaign will be used to support the efforts of a nationwide school safety commission spearheaded by Alex’s father, Max Schachter. Schachter convened the first commission meeting on Monday, March 5, 2018 in Parkland, Fl. Over 25 school safety experts from across the United States helped identify state of the art school safety guidelines and best practices including training methods that will enable the commission to develop a blueprint to make schools safe nationwide. Attending the meeting were Police Chiefs and Sheriffs from Los Angeles, Orange County, Dallas, Denver, Atlanta, Indiana, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach County. In addition, seasoned school safety directors and subject matter experts rounded out the national field of officials attending and contributing to the forum. Of note, in attendance were representatives from the “safest school in America”, which is located in Shelbyville, Indiana. Some of the safety features and best practices discussed included a secure network that is connected to an emergency 911 call center and teachers wearing a fob that can immediately alert that call center. The police call center will then have the ability to lock all ballistic hardened and bullet proof classroom doors and have the ability to locate the attacker and hinder their ability to see and harm students. Teachers are able to communicate with authorities in order to protect their students and each classroom has a designated safe space. “All school safety systems should allow teachers to teach and students to learn, so they do not have to worry about being shot in their classrooms,” says Schachter. The commission’s blueprint will include multiple layers of security, crime prevention through environmental design, active intelligence, command/control/coordination with a single entity and local law enforcement. It will also recommend having a School Resource Officer or School Policing program that is based on a data driven, community policing approach. “There are simple strategies and processes that can be implemented right now to make our schools safe. For instance, if Marjory Stoneman Douglas would have had bullet proof glass windows in all classroom doors, Alex Schachter and many other victims would still be alive today, says Schachter.” Once the commission’s blueprint is created, Safe Schools for Alex will issue grants to schools across the country to assist them in hardening their structures so they can better protect themselves from these horrible tragedies in the future. Please help keep Alex’s spirit alive by keeping future generations of children safe at school. This page has been set up by the family of Alex Schachter in Parkland, Florida. Thank you all for your support and generosity.
