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| Lawrence King |
Though school administrators had already taken up the issue of school safety before the murder of 15-year-old Lawrence King earlier this year, the case has sparked renewed interest in protecting students in Ventura County.
According to the Ventura County Star, a grand jury has ruled that schools must be safer, mandating that a police officer must be present on each campus and that schools buckle down on perimeter fencing and locking gates.
King was killed in February when his 14-year-old classmate Brandon McInerney brought a gun to school and shot him. According to school administrators, McInerney shot King after the young boy had asked him to be his valentine.
McInerney is charged with first-degree murder and a hate crime, though gay rights activists have requested he be tried as a minor.
According to the County Star, the buckle down on safety is the result of surveys filled out by 25 middle school principals. The grand jury conducted school visits and determined that only nine of the campuses had an officer present.
