Butler County schools seem to fare relatively well when it comes to campus safety.

A recently released school safety report from the state police details ways to improve campus safety measures and enhance safety response, such as having keyless locks, closed circuit television surveillance, an emergency plan and a comprehensive emergency alert system.

“We are reminded once again of the tragic event that unfolded at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., to evaluate safety measures in our school systems,” said Col. Frank Noonan, commissioner for the state police, in the report. “Unfortunately, there is no easy solution.”

However, the Sandy Hook shooting did act as a catalyst for some area schools to beef up security.

Last spring, the Karns City School District added armed security to their staff. In the fall, metal detectors were installed at the high school and both elementary schools, as were improved video security systems and locks.

“We did everything we thought we could feasibly do,” said Eric Ritzert, Karns City superintendent.

Citing the FBI, the report showed that 17 percent of active shooter incidents that took place between 2002 and 2012 occurred in an academic setting. And while Ritzert said he’s not sure how well prepared a school can be for a terroristic threat, particularly an armed intruder, he said there can always be more improvements.

“I don’t want people to believe schools are unsafe, but we’re not the police force and we’re not the Army,” he said. “We try to make the school as safe as we possibly can. We’re always receptive to doing more.”

Meanwhile, South Butler School District added glass film coating to glass entrance doors this year to make breaking through them more difficult. They have an identification card swipe at all building entrances, rather than keys, as well as armed security staff.

Jason Davidek, district spokesman, said they particularly tout their district emergency plan, which is reviewed annually by the Butler County Emergency Management Agency and local police.

“Last year, we redesigned and updated our emergency plan for the district,” Davidek said. “We have an internal process where it’s evaluated and updated on a regular basis.”

The report stresses the use of an Incident Command System, giving staff members various roles in case disaster would ever strike.

Butler School District has had metal detectors, armed guards and closed-circuit video surveillance for years.

While the report recommends pass-code or swipe-based locks, Mike Strutt, Butler superintendent, admits school locks at Butler aren’t “state of the art.”

“We still have a traditional key mode, but only have one access point,” he said.

According to the report, keyless entry is beneficial because it “eliminates the need to produce, issue, track, collect and replace keys.”

And such a system also allows the district to block school access to employees who were terminated or pose a threat to the school.

Drills also were stressed in the report, and Strutt said Butler practices those often. Lockdown and evacuation procedures are practiced several times a year.

He added the district has applied for a grant to receive an updated alarm system in the high school cafeteria.

All three schools have automated alert systems, rapidly notifying students and/or parents in emergencies via either phone, text or e-mail.

And two state senate bills, if passed, would give educational leaders more options to protect their schools.

Sen. Don White, R-41st, has proposed SB 1193, which would give school boards the option of allowing licensed and trained staff to carry firearms on campus, and SB 1194, which would allow districts in communities that rely on state police to contract with nearby municipal police to provide school security.