Kyle:
“One thing is for sure: student and staff safety is paramount. As a community, it is up to parents to make sure that their children have a safe home environment, and hopefully, that can carry on as the students enter the building. City and community leaders have to play a role in providing the necessary resources to secure school grounds. Of course, something needs to be done about keeping guns out of the hands of children at all costs.”
Kendall
“I believe that, in order to make public schools safer, we need to start addressing the problems the students are bringing up. Adding an alert button system throughout schools that students and staff can press to alert security could be a good idea. Safety doesn’t just mean physical; it means mental and emotional safety as well. So, we could also add more comfortable furniture to classrooms or even a cool-down space where students can go to relax and gather themselves.”
Eric:
“First and foremost, something—policy or otherwise—must be done about keeping guns off the streets and out of the hands of kids. I think some type of intervention is needed for kids who are struggling emotionally or mentally. This is not an easy fix. Personally, I would invest money into keeping guns out of the hands of youth; what that looks like will take community and government involvement. But I am optimistic that, as a community, we can accomplish this.”
Helen:
“That is a loaded question. Metal detectors have always been on the table, but they can take away from the learning environment as a distraction. Money is always an option to secure the grounds and facilities with more police presence and supervision. But making sure that our children are mentally OK is the root of solving this crisis.”
Dom
“I think that if public schools add more security guards and have them build more personal relationships with students to make them feel that they are in a safe environment, surrounded by men and women who truly care about their safety, then that could at least help students feel mentally safe while still working on keeping everyone physically safe in public schools, as a school security guard.”
Danielle:
“I think, to improve safety in schools, we need stricter gun laws. This means making it harder to buy guns and considering a ban on assault weapons. Many students worry about the possibility of someone bringing a gun to school, so addressing this issue is really crucial.”
