Commentary: A small town in the heartland redesigned its school to prevent shootings. But architecture can't ensure kids' safety.

FRUITPORT, Mich. - Should the school your child attends be designed to thwart a mass shooter?

"Yes," people say in this west-central Michigan village, where the tallest structure - a yellow water tower with a smiley face - bespeaks small town innocence.

So a new and bigger version of the local high school is being equipped with features meant to prevent another Columbine, Sandy Hook or Parkland. Curving hallways are supposed to disrupt a shooter's line of sight. Students and teachers could hide from a shooter behind protruding walls. Windows will be covered with impact-resistant film.

"This is a town that doesn't want to be surprised," said Heidi Tice, the supervisor of Fruitport Charter Township, which encompasses the village. "We want to be ready for anything that gets thrown at us. ... It gives everybody a little peace of mind."

I get that, but it's still deeply troubling that this story