On April 21, 1999, I was sitting in 11th grade Bible class at GCS, where we all talked in disbelief over the news out of Columbine, CO. That day forever changed how our nation viewed school security. In April of 2007 I was messaging with my little brother as he was hiding from an active shooter in a Virginia Tech cafeteria. These nightmare events reshaped how parents and school administrators across the country thought about the responsibility of keeping our children safe from an unwanted intruder.

At GCS we added security alert buttons linked to local police throughout the buildings as well as portable ones for outside. We added an extensive camera system and buzz-in door locks. We sent our leaders to national training seminars and invited local police into our school to evaluate our layout and plans. We train our staff and students every year in lockdown drills.

This April we are looking to take the next step in security lockdown. Level 3 in the Bid for Cause ($60,000) will allow us to remove key access from all of our buildings and remotely lock, unlock, or remove access authority from anyone at a moment’s notice. No longer will someone have the ability to use an older or copied key to enter. Availability of shared spaces can be restricted to set times. We have been repeatedly told by security experts that this is the next step we need to take to be on par with the best systems they see in schools throughout the country. 

We have over 300 children for over seven hours a day in a world that can be less than hospitable to Christ-centered institutions. We want to go to bed every night knowing that we have done all that we can to put their lives first. $60,000 is an ambitious goal for a school of our size and demographic. I’m asking you to take a moment this week to ask the Lord if this is an area in which you should invest your resources. We are looking for this April to be a joyous one of thanksgiving!