I am assuming direct control.
In light of recent events, my friends and I were discussing methods to prevent such tragedies. Of course, everyone argues the whole gun control vs. population mental illness line of thought, but (On a bit of a tangent) what about setting up schools to defend against an attacker?
First off, when I say defend, I mean non-lethal methods. If we can't curb the shootings, might as well defend ourselves. My high school, for instance, holds over 4,000 students, and I have no doubt if someone wanted to they could kill hundreds because of the absurd population density. So, what if the school could actively prevent attackers?
Right now, we have lock down mode where every student retreats into class and lights are shut off and doors are locked. However, a shooter still has access to the entire school. My high school has gates that drop down from the ceiling at night, why not use those to automatically compartmentalize the school? The shooter would have restricted mobility, and if used correctly could be denied access to the majority of the student body. This would also allow police to evacuate students from the sealed off sections and they would be better prepared to engage the shooter. Now these gates wouldn't drop until students were already in the classrooms as stranding kids in the hall would be terrible.
Secondly, and this is where non-lethal defenses come into play, why not use riot control methods to subdue an attacker? I could see an automated machine on the roof that would utilize the high pitch alarms used to stun. There's also the microwave dishes that cause a burning sensation. There's also lasers that flash the shooter in the eyes so he cannot see. I know it seems like an impractical stretch, but these turrets could subdue the shooter entirely and prevent him from reaching any population body. Even outside of a shooter, defenses like these could break up violent fights that break out.
I put these suggestions out there as entirely speculative and in no way a true concrete suggestion. What are your thoughts, flood? Would it be possible to provide non-lethal defenses for large schools (Or all schools) so that shooters cannot access student bodies, or be entirely subdued?