Out of Tragedy, a Protective Glass for Schools

Martin, Claire. "Out of Tragedy, a Protective Glass for Schools." The New York      Times. The New York Times, 27 Dec. 2014. Web. 27 Dec. 2014.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/28/technology/out-of-tragedy-a-protective-glass-for-schools.html?_r=0

            For my current events, I read “Out of a Tragedy, a Protective Glass for Schools,” by Claire Martin.  Claire Martin’s article describes one man’s innovative idea for increased protection in schools since the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School two years ago. Christopher Kapiloff, the co-owner of Kapiloff’s Glass, worried after the Sandy Hook massacre about the safety of schoolchildren, including his own.  Kapiloff realized that the Sandy Hook murderer had entered the school by shooting through the glass of a window.  Kapiloff had installed very expensive bulletproof glass in high risk buildings such as the offices of the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, but he decided he wanted to create an affordable glass product to keep violent people out of schools across the United States for the minutes before local police arrive.   In the spring of 2013, Kapiloff worked with the LTI Group to develop a thin glass called School Guard Glass to thwart school intruders.  This glass, which includes a secret ingredient, holds up against gunfire for four to six minutes. It is only a quarter of an inch thick, but Kapiloff said that the glass is very effective in limiting blast damage.  The price per door for School Guard Glass, including installation, is about $1,000 compared to $50,000 for bulletproof glass.  An independent agency tested the glass and found that it held up for more than ten minutes when it was shot with a rifle.  School Guard Glass would have been extremely effective during the Sandy Hook massacre because it took the first police officer about three minutes to get to Sandy Hook Elementary School after the first 911 call.  If School Guard Glass can thwart intruders for a minimum of four to six minutes, the police officer would have arrived at Sandy Hook before the perpetrator was able to get inside the school.

Claire Martin’s article is very significant to humanity.  School Guard Glass will make schools safer by giving police officers additional critical time to get to the crime scene before a perpetrator is able to do anything terrible.  Schools’ installation of School Guard Glass will make students feel safer when they are going into school.  School Guard Glass could also eventually be used to make other places safer.  Since the glass is more affordable, it could be used in the windows of police precincts across the country, and even in police cars.  If the protective glass is used in police cars, it might even prevent future incidents like the recent murders of two New York City officers sitting in their police car.  If the glass in their police car had been able to hold up against gunfire for a few minutes, the police officers would have had more time to react and protect themselves.

            Claire Martin’s article was very well written and easy to understand. Martin’s title definitely caught my attention because it suggested that she was going to share something positive that came from the terrible Sandy Hook tragedy.  Another thing that Martin did well was that she included the opinions of experts in favor of the School Guard Glass, and other experts who were against it.  After reading all of them, I agreed with the expert opinion of Philip Santore, a security expert, who called the School Guard Glass “a game-changer.”  Although her article was well written, Claire Martin could have done a few things better.   After reading the article, I still had many questions. It would have been helpful if Martin had given some basic details about how glass is made, what substances are normally combined to create glass, and why glass breaks easily. Martin stated that Kapiloff would not reveal the exact contents of the new protective glass, but I think it would have made the article even better if she had asked the experts she spoke with to share their ideas about what the secret ingredient could possibly be that has been added to the glass to make it stronger.            

            Overall, I really enjoyed reading Martin’s article.  The creation of the new protective glass reminded me of learning about alloys and how they are metals that are combined with other elements to make stronger materials.  In addition, the article also shares something that is really positive for the future safety of our schools.