Parents react to school safety measures

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - The tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut  has raised concerns about school security. As parents sent their children to school Monday, they had safety on their minds.

In Buffalo, school security has been enhanced but it caused a delay Monday.  Students were gathered outside of Hutchinson Central Technical High School for more than an hour, waiting to get inside. Students were waiting for fellow classmates to be screened by a metal detector. At high schools throughout the city, every student was checked before arriving.

After Friday’s tragic events in Newtown Connecticut, Buffalo School Superintendent Pamela Brown announced that heightened security will be in place at all Buffalo schools .

Not everyone was happy with the new security measures. Parent Amy Senger said, “Here we were told to send our kids to school like it’s a normal school day, and tell them that they’re safe and everything is okay. My daughter’s been here since 7:30 and she’s still waiting outside, that bothers me a little bit.”

Another parent said she doesn’t mind the precautions, but she hopes they speed up the process.

Jennifer Cybulski said, “I think it’s necessary to some degree, in light of the tragedy that took place, I’m sure they need some kind of safety measures in place. I’m just hoping that this doesn’t go on everyday though, simplify it somehow and still make it safe.”

Both mothers say they worry all the kids waiting to go inside the school, could end up being a target outside of it.

Senger said, “If these kids have something in their bag right now, who is protecting my child?”

Cybulski said, “My concern is, if there is a crazy person out here, with all these kids standing out here, they could actually kill a lot of kids.”