McGuinty floats locked-door policy for Ontario schools
The Ontario government will commit $10 million to implement a "locked-door policy" for elementary schools while students are in class, says Premier Dalton McGuinty.
McGuinty announced the new funding at a Thursday news conference at a Catholic elementary school in Toronto. He said the provincial government is acting to ensure the safety of all students in the wake of last week's deadly school shooting in Newtown, Conn., that claimed the lives of 20 young children and six adults.
McGuinty said he wants elementary schools by September to lock their doors when classes are in session. He also said that the government is expanding and reopening the Safe Welcome Program, which provides schools with funding to install security systems like locking doors, buzzers and security cameras.
About 850 of the province's 4,000 schools have already received funding under the Safe Welcome Program, which until now was closed to new funding applications.
McGuinty said the Newtown shooting prompted him to question whether the provincial government was doing all it could to protect children in Ontario.
