Are Our Schools Safe?

To introduce my six weeks unit on tolerance to my English II sophomores, I always have them interview someone who was a teen in an earlier decade. They are to ask questions about values of that time period, so they can write a compare/contrast essay between this prior decade and today. My students seem to discover fascinating facts about segregation, acceptance, education, work ethic, and family life. They observe that while some situations have improved over the years, some have definitely become worse. Violence is a major issue many students bring up, probably because we cannot seem to get away from it these days. In fact, earlier today, a young middle-school student shot herself in one of our district’s schools. As word got out, rumors started flying about a shooting in one of our schools and the fearful reminder that no school is safe crept back into all of our minds. Once again, we are forced to ask ourselves what is being done to protect our children?

I believe there are two ways we can help prevent violent acts from occurring at school. While one is in the control of the districts, the other is not. The local news reported this in-school suicide and ended with an interview of a concerned parent who said, “Why are schools allowing guns on campus?” My immediate response was, “Since when did we tell children to bring weapons to school?” Also, as a teacher, I was tempted to ask, “And why are you, as a parent, allowing your child to have a gun?” Obviously my second question is as absurd as the parents initial question. I doubt any of us tell our children/students to carry around deadly weapons, but that does not prevent them from doing so. So what can we do?

School districts do have some control in protecting students and many of them, including the middle-class suburban districts that were once considered safe, have found themselves focusing much time and money in doing just that. For example, most of the school districts in my community have started using metal detectors at football stadiums, installed security cameras throughout campuses, used drug/weapon detection canines, and created emergency teams and plans. Our district has just announced that we have purchased handheld metal detectors to use on students at random. Visitations to campuses are much stricter, dress codes are being voted upon, and student identification tags are being prominently worn in many schools too. Teachers are also attending staff development sessions about school safety and districts are sometimes offering informational sessions with guest speakers for the public. Districts have “Safe and Drug-Free School” coordinators and many schools have clubs promoting safe and drug-free lifestyles. I suggest you contact your school to find out what precautions are being taken to ensure a safe environment for your child. The conversation may help put your mind at ease, or, if your district is not making necessary changes, you will be made aware of this problem so you can instigate solutions.

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