ST. LOUIS — The flags fly at half staff at Ellisville Elementary, one of the changes just one day after the nation suffered another mass shooting.
"The doors should not be propped open on a school at any time," Ellisville Police Sgt. George Corless said, pulling on exterior door handles as he walked around the perimeter.
School districts everywhere are reacting to what happened in Texas. In Ellisville, that means increased patrols for their schools.
Known to the kids as Officer George, Corless said what happened in Texas has him thinking of his own situation
"I was shocked, and then you think 'hopefully it doesn't happen here,'" Corless said.
"Realistically the United States is the only kind of an anomaly. Other countries like this don't have this phenomenon," EducationPlus Executive Director Paul Ziegler said.
A non-profit supporting St. Louis area school districts, Ziegler said they're now preparing to talk to superintendents in one week about what lessons to learn from Texas.
"It is going to look different in every community because every facility is a little different even within the same district. Based on the type of the building and the age of the building, you might see a buzzer system at one school and a vestibule at another," Ziegler said.
As Ellisville second-graders arrive back at school from their first-ever field trip — a sign of normalcy after the pandemic — Corless said they are talking to him about Texas.
"One first grader said that there was always a police officer in the school so he feels safe. Kids shouldn't have to think that," he said.
And Corless said he is thinking of new strategies to keep them safe.
"This is a friendly inviting place for kids, and we want it to be that way. We don't want to turn our schools into prisons and subject kids to all the screening when they should be thinking about having fun when they come to school to learn," he said.
Corless adds there are usually warning signs. If you see something suspicious, speak up, and let them investigate.