Editorial by: Rubee Stillwagon 

Editorial

Making sure our schools are safe should be a number one priority, especially in today’s society. With the number of school shooting rates increasing every year, it’s important to take the proper steps in order to keep everyone safe. 

“I think fire drills should be done maybe one in the fall one in the spring and lockdown drills should be done every month,” School Police Officer Mr. Kerry Dieter said. “On a state level, I think they should flip those around.” 

According to Education Week, as of November of this year, there have been 36 school shootings that resulted in injuries or death. Since 2018 there have been 180 school shootings. On average, in these shootings, two people are killed and one is injured. Although these numbers may not seem that big, they are still too high. Students should be taught to be prepared for these situations so there are less injuries and deaths.  

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The door jamb that was provided to all classrooms to use in the event of a lockdown.

Photo by: Rubee Stillwagon

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“I know school shootings are a big fear for many students and that’s sad to me,” sophomore Maggie Alcorn said. 

School shootings are a fear for kids all over the world and it’s unfortunate that this is something they worry about. According to Sandy Hook Promise, more than 43,000 were exposed to gun fire at school in 2022. Schools take certain measures to make the buildings safer but some of them aren’t always as beneficial as they believe. 

“I feel like the door jambs can be beneficial,” Alcorn said. “But I also think they can be dangerous.” 

All teachers were provided with jam block safety systems to use in case of an emergency. The problem with these safety systems is not their reliability, but rather how safe they are actually keeping people. While these do block the door and keep them shut, they can also tell an intruder that someone is in the room. This is because they can only be used from the inside.  

“I think we need all new interior doors and new door locks,” Officer Dieter said. “A locked door is the number one life saver.” 

Even if an intruder does get into the school, a door and lock protecting students and teachers in classrooms can be a saving factor. 

“We are the only schools within the county that don’t have mousetrap entrances,” Dieter said. 

Mousetrap entrances are becoming very common within schools. These entrances are set up so that anyone coming into the school must pace through a secure vestibule before entering the actual school building. This would stop people from having access to the rest of the building before making sure they are not a threat. Unfortunately, this is a very expensive remodel for schools.  

“When it comes to protecting people, I feel like more money should be used,” Alcorn said. 

Although schools have money put aside for safety measures, some people would argue that it should be a larger amount. But that doesn’t necessarily come from the school level but more from state and federal levels. 

“I think because this is clearly a problem in our nation, that there should be some funding provided by the state and federal government,” Math Teacher Mr. Al Toret said.  

The burden of protecting schools from a school shooting is too big to fall on local schools. This goes beyond the school and to higher authorities. With this being said, there is another thing as well that falls into the hands of those beyond school level. 

  “There should be some school focused training that officers are required to go through, and I would say on a regular basis,” Mr. Toret said. 

After the shooting on May 24, 2022, at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, many people questioned the way law enforcement handled the situation. Although there were 376 law enforcement officers on scene, they were reported to have handled things in a “chaotic, uncoordinated way that lasted for over an hour,” according to The Texas Tribune.  

“A building like a school does offer a different thing because you’re dealing with children,” he said. 

Schools filled with learning children should be protected. After all, children are one day going to be future leaders. That is why it is so important to raise awareness about this problem that our world is facing and take all the proper steps in order to keep people safe. 

“If you see something, say something,” Officer Dieter said. “Everyone knows something at some point. It’s a matter of whether they want to say it.”