Letter: After Jonesboro

THE horror in Jonesboro will touch the hearts of most who hear of it. Please can it reach people's brains too? I am particularly struck that the children and teachers were trapped outside their building by a self-locking system. Around me, as I visit schools in my area, I have:

locked myself out of school whilst on playground duty;

let adults I do not recognise into after-school activities when they have tapped on the window for admittance;

noted that it takes an extra adult to hold a door open to admit adults they do not recognise to evening functions;

interrupted the secretary's work to gain admittance to schools.

At my children's school, this morning, I let myself in. I spoke to the secretary, too far from her office to be door keeper, and checked refreshments for a PTA function to raise money to support a poorly funded school. I wasted no one's time.

If there is money to spend in schools (and there is, because locks are in place) can we please spend it on reducing class sizes so that the world raises fewer disaffected loners? Locks will not stop this sort of person finding victims in a spectacular setting. Connecting with the social world may.

ANI HARRIS

New Mills, Derbyshire