According to Senator Chris Murphy, a school shooting happens almost once a week. That’s about four school shootings a month. Would metal detectors in school improve this situation. I believe schools should not have metal detectors in school because metal detectors can be faulty, are extremely costly, and makes the students feel anxious and uneasy.
In a research report conducted by the National Justice Institute stated that most metal detectors cannot differentiate between a belt and a handgun and sometimes can’t even tell if either might be there. In general the report stated that metal detectors can recurrently not pick up items it’s supposed to. In San Diego, a student who decided to fire his gun on school grounds. That school had metal
Improvement in security will also contribute to a safe environment. High schools should implement the use of metal detectors as well as random searches. Although, it may be tedious to remove all metal and coins from your pockets, it will ensure safety. This security measure can be specific to each school. An example being to make the checks random throughout the week or only require it for students to have a late arrival. Random searches can also be specified such as only searching lockers or classrooms. Motion sensored cameras can also be a very effective with safety. In many school’s cameras are only in the hallways and lunchroom, but what happens when violence occurs in a classroom? All evidence will be based off hearsay. This is not an effective way of assessing the incident considering there are 3 sides to every story. Adding motion cameras to classrooms will make evidence accurate. Not only will student-student altercations be recorded, but teacher-student altercations will be recorded. Security guards themselves should also be improved. Security guards should be posted in hallways upon children arrival, during passing periods, and upon school dismissal. Security guards should also be fit enough for the job. “The results indicated that utilization of multiple security measures reduced the likelihood of exposure to property
School shootings are a common occurrence on daily news. Students shouldn’t terrify going to school with the mindset that a shooter will show up with intention of killing people. Ideally, students leave home for school to learn, and not worried someone will come in and shoot everyone. When I was younger I would go to the bathroom worried a shooter would enter my school leaving me alone in a life or death situation. School security improvement is extremely important because children should feel safe and never in danger. Also, schools need better ways of helping children feel safe when they come for six hours everyday. More could be done for students, not only as prevention from shootings occurring but from relieving young children of unnecessary anxiety.
After the Sandy Hook, there were countless ways for students to be safe at school. In Preparing for the Unthinkable: School Safety after Sandy Hook news article, Vicki Bauman said, “ Instead of gates, guns, and metal detectors, let’s invest in the things we know will make us safer: counselors, health care, teaching positive behavior, and making sure we have services to reach out to disconnected youth and pull them back on track.” Therefore, violence is not the answer to any question or issue. The community and school system should take a stand and get the necessities that the schools need to have a safe environment for the students and faculty and staff. The school can invest in law enforcement. The law enforcement will be able to conduct a consistent search through a metal detector. The law enforcement will help the students to avoid bringing prohibited weapons to school as well as, there to protect the school.
To summarize, school shootings shouldn’t be taken lightly. One quick threat can lead to a nationwide memorial day. We can learn from our past with Columbine to treat all of our peers with respect if not kindness and from Sandy Hook to learn how to better protect our children. Columbine, 1999, 24 survivors . Sandy Hook, 2012, 12 survivors.
Although some say armed police officers in schools may be a danger to all, armed police officers should be present in schools because their presence alone can give a sense of safety. Having armed police officers on campus can deter bad situations from happening. They can also have an impact of the number of school shootings that occur. They can also help with situations that may occur with students that may have conflict with other students that a teacher or staff member may not be able to handle. In this era that we live in having armed officers in schools is a way to insure the safety of students.
The less people injured during school shootings the better it is. The idea of teachers and administrators carrying guns would then be a success.
School shootings have become a tragedy so common in America, that all of us has been affected in one way or another. Despite the fact that they happen once every few years, one time should be the enough and change should follow, this is not the case in most places. Some people think the solution to this problem can be solved by stricter gun laws, others believe the problem lies in Mental Health Awareness, both are uncertain but are the best option people can think of. Being a student and a member of the community, both of are well thought of solutions but they have their flaws. I believe the best way for schools to be safer is for the school system to be more in their community.
I have been a student in the Thomas County School System ever since I started pre-school. During my time here, I have loved every minute of it, learning and having great experiences with friends and teachers here. Over the last four years of my high school experience, I have noticed that there have been more threats of bombings and shootings around the nation. Even though we do have a safe school and take precautions, there is still room for error. I am proposing that we make school a safer place for kids to learn by installing bulletproof glass as well as door-stoppers in each class.
During the past few years, the number of school shootings has increased markedly. In 2013, there were 19 school shootings that occurred, taking so many innocent lives. Some may remember the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 14th, 2013. It was the second deadliest massacre shooting in United States history, behind the 2007 Virginia Tech Massacre. Adam Lanza shot twenty children, six staff, his mother, and himself that day. School shootings are tragic. Violence continues to increase with these shootings, as well as with violence within the schools among the students. The big question is, how do we protect ourselves from these horrible occurrences? How do teachers protect the innocent lives of their students? One common suggestion is for the teachers and administration to be armed. The premise is that if the school staff has possession of firearms this would discourage shooters, thereby making the schools much safer. However, it is my belief that teachers should not be able to have access to weapons. There should never be any type firearm on a school property, excluding trained security personnel, such as police officers and security guards.
School shootings have been on the rise in the United States since the early 80’s, questioning the safety and security of schools all across the country. Lots of ideas have come up for trying to keep weapons out of schools but the idea of having metal detectors has stuck and on paper seems to be a viable option for schools but in real use they have lots of issues. One of the biggest problems with using metal detectors in public schools will be cost. Cost affects many different things to do with the metal detectors, two of the major factors being proper trained staff and paying for repairs. Another issue with metal detectors are they are slow, make kids late to class and also make kids dread going to school in the morning. There could be compromises made like alternative options like random checks or quick pat downs but getting rid of this style of security would be better all together. Metal detectors should not be used in schools because they make students late to class, cause anxiety and are too expensive to be used in public schools.
School shootings are terrifying and a big problem in today’s society. Schools have added lockdown drills, bullet proof glass and metal detectors. School should be a safe area for children to learn instead of fearing for their life. Instead of buying metal detectors and hiring more officers, there is a much easier solution in order to decrease and prevent school shootings. We have to be more alert about securing weapons at home and being aware of suspicious behavior at school in order to keep children and faculty safe.
Since 2010 there have been thirty-one school shootings in the United States alone (Black). In this past year, the year of 2013, there have already been 8 school shootings in the USA (Black). Eight school shootings in one month. That number is outrageous and not healthy for our students to have the best learning experience. No student deserves to go to school fearing that they may fall victim to violence at their school. I believe that our schools can be made safer by a law being written that teachers should be allowed to carry concealed firearms in school. It is best for teachers to carry firearms to school because it will provide safety to
Teaching at a typical small town school in rural America one day, shots ring out. Active shooter drills come to mind, but what do we do, where do we go, how many students are present? Panic sets in. Thoughts of hiding, running, calling out for help and screaming all flash across the forefront of the mind when a person can be seen walking down the hall with a large gun in hand. No one ever thinks it could happen in a town, school, or church like ours but when the act is committed everyone feels the betrayal. Although schools from elementary to universities have adopted drills for active shooters and have routes with plans drawn up we never know how we will truly react until the time comes. Armed guards stand at the ready at most entryway doors but they are only one person and can not be everywhere always. In a recent study of active shooters for the Federal Bureau of Investigations, J.Pete Blair and Katherine W. Schweit have said, “The second most common incident locations were in educational environments…and the study results established that …these incidents involved some of the highest casualty numbers” (20). Crime is always a threat to education and defending our students nationwide should be a priority. The trouble begins with the fact that the school shootings are becoming more regular. Allowing teachers to be armed gives administration, faculty and students a more successful chance at survival against an active shooter in our education systems.
“That could never happen in my school.” This is one of the first thoughts that goes through a students mind when they hear about a school shooting. The fact is though, it can. School shootings can happen at any school at any time. Lack of security is only a small part of the problem. The major issue lies in the low morality of students and warning signs overlooked by administration.
Over the past decade school violence has been on the rise. School violence has always existed in some form or another, whether it is a fight out on the play ground or a stabbing in the parking lot. However nothing got the nation's attentions like the April 20, 1999, Columbine school shooting. Ever since that day the nation wants to know what to do to protect the kids in this country. Many schools have gotten increasingly stricter on their policies, especially the schools that have more money. What about the schools that cant' afford metal detectors and security officers? American public schools are not safe, and need to have greater security measures to ensure the students' safety.