Ever since the Columbine Massacre in 1999 when two students killed 15 people and injured 21 others, schools across the country have been worried about students bringing weapons into school. But over the past few years they have become more and more common, leaving kids constantly worried about something they should never experience in their life. Schools aren’t taking their security seriously enough. Policies need to change and money needs to be invested.
According to EveryTown for Gun Safety, an organization focused on preventing school shootings, “the majority of people who discharged a gun on school grounds—58 percent—were either current or former students, staff, faculty, or school resource officers.” In addition, the New York City Police Department’s review of active shooter incidents in K–12 schools found that in 75 percent of these incidents, the shooter or shooters were school-age and were current or former students.
Because the weapons are often brought on campus by people who belong there, checking IDs doesn’t always work. Schools should be better equipped to stop weapons from getting on campus in the first place.
Securing entrances to the school would be beneficial, but with an outdoor school like ours, this is challenging. One affordable option is to install metal detectors at the main entrances, with estimates ranging from $4,000 to $14,000 per metal detector.
Some may argue that metal detectors will create an unwelcoming and stressful environment. However, according to a story published in the washingtonpost.com, while metal detectors may make students feel less safe, they can also deter the student with a weapon from trying to get onto campus with it.
Another option to prevent people with weapons from getting on campus would be to raise the height of our fences. Now, anyone can hop over the fence and get access to campus. This is another security measure that would help make our campus more secure.
More action needs to be taken to secure our campus, and money should be put aside towards these and other preventative measures.