School shooter drills, Hofstra and Sands casino, MTA congestion pricing

‘Active shooter’ drills: Play ‘Pretend’

I see the state Board of Regents is at it again, making rules without community input [“School drill concerns,” News, July 28]. First, the Regents said schools must remove Native American mascot names or lose state funds. Now, the board is targeting school shooter drills.

Please tell me who decided not to have “active shooter” drills during school hours, mandating that parents and students be notified before less-intensive “lockdown drills” take place.

Drills are supposed to prepare teachers, students and staff if an active shooter gets into the school. But, no, let’s play “Pretend.” Do you think an armed person will be gentle and ask permission to shoot? Or say, “Excuse me, but you are in my way.”

Active shooters are real, and every second counts. When a shooter goes in and tries to get out quickly after causing damage, he or she doesn’t care if your feelings are hurt. They won’t play by “Pretend” rules.

Let the police appropriately train those at schools because when it happens, you want them to end the danger.

Finally, did the Regents consult with law enforcement and get their professional input?

— Larry Lombardo, Lynbrook

The writer is a retired New York City Transit police sergeant.

In elementary school in the 1960s, we had periodic fire drills, but the real threat was impending nuclear attacks. By fourth grade, my classmates and I realized we were doomed. It didn’t help that the apartment building I lived in had a basement fallout shelter. I was reminded 24/7 of the danger.

Our teachers explained that hiding under our desks would protect us from the enormous glass windows shattering. We realized that if the issue was our school building blowing up, what good was hiding under our desks? We were doomed.

Hiding in a closet with easy-to-open sliding doors just made us easy to find.

What would obeying “duck and cover” do? Our favorite surefire method of protection was lining up in the hallway against the wall. Our teachers tried in vain to reassure us we were safe, but we were still frightened.

As the husband of a college professor and parent of an elementary school teacher, I often ask them what precautions their schools take so they and their students are safe. I pray every day.

— Howard Lev, East Meadow

How many readers remember while sitting in class the teacher would suddenly say, “Everyone, get under your desk and put your hands over your head”? These were nuclear bomb drills back in the 1950s. We also wore dog tags with our names, etc. so we could be identified. This was when I was in elementary school in New York City. I think that nowadays too much effort is made to protect children from life’s realities.

— Jack Kagan, Melville

I grew up when schools had nuclear bomb drills or air raid drills. This occurred when I was in elementary school in the 1960s. All students had to kneel facing the wall in the hallway. We had to put our hands over our head in the belief this would protect us. Nobody, to my knowledge, was traumatized.

— Pete Scott, Centerport

Hofstra and Sands need to be partners

Hofstra University and Las Vegas Sands need to create a partnership for prosperity and educational excellence [“Sands closer to ‘as is’ lease,” Long Island & NYC, July 23]. An endowed chair at Hofstra in hotel/casino management would be perfect, with a guarantee to hire Hofstra highly qualified candidates for the new hotel/casino.

Activating the dormant rail spur near Nassau Coliseum to an active train station, with a direct link to Hofstra, would also help everyone, particularly Hofstra students. Partnership breeds success for all — jobs, tax revenue, careers, etc.

A hotel/casino destination will increase property values and reduce unemployment. It is time to put away NIMBY concerns and think of the greater good for Nassau County. Many Long Islanders and Americans like to gamble, so why not use that as an engine for prosperity and excellence?

— Alan H. Cohn, Nesconset

MTA should stop playing word games

I am confused. I thought the purpose of congestion pricing was to encourage the use of mass transit and reduce the number of cars in the city “New congestion pricing suits filed,” News, July 26]. If fewer cars go into the city, though, total revenue should decrease. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority would get less, not more money over time.

But if the MTA plans on the same flow of cars, which would amass billions of dollars, then it is really a user tax, not an incentive to use mass transit. Call it what it is and stop playing word games. In reality, does the MTA want decreased traffic? No, because it would get fewer dollars.

— Michael Weinick, Merrick