Lizzie Cornish, you don't think that a recent student would know the password?

I do not agree - at all - that schools are the problem. I know many home schooled kids, and almost without exception, they are bright, happy children. That is not the issue.

The point is that a great many parents are not able/motivated/educated/skilled enough to teach their children themselves. Besides which, most households nowadays require both parents' paychecks in order to survive. And that isn't likely to change any time soon.

Until the day that a parent can afford to remain home in order to teach their children - and the parent is aware of the importance of education - schools will be necessary.

When the idea of public schools - in the sense that 'public' is used in the USA - came about, it was largely the official recognition of parental shortcomings that fueled it.

Bill D - and others - I agree that in the event of a fire, a second door might prove more frequently useful in the life of a school but my primary thought is valid, I think. I visualise a gunman being distracted by some brave souls while the children escape the premises.