Every time there’s a campus shooting
– this school year it was the incident at the Amish school in
Pennsylvania in October and this week’s tragedy at Virginia Tech –
local high school students are affected in some way.
Every time there’s a campus shooting – this school year it was the incident at the Amish school in Pennsylvania in October and this week’s tragedy at Virginia Tech – local high school students are affected in some way.
Most have a hard time believing that someone their age could take such extreme measures and resort to violence; others worriedly wonder whether something similar will even happen here.
Letting students discuss their feelings or offer solutions can help, so I had my San Benito High School journalism students write about campus safety this week. Their insights, samples of which follow, show that they are well-meaning, deep-thinking members of a society that is trying to figure out how to stem the tide of school violence.
“If people spent as much time helping the students in need as they do with trying to ‘protect’ us, there may be fewer shootings,” one student wrote. “Emotionally unstable students should be watched carefully. And those who seek counseling because of a serious crisis should get extra attention. If all of us students look out for each other like we would do for our best friend or sibling I would sure feel a whole lot safer. But that would require people to stand up for others and not be afraid. That action is still uncommon in a lot of us.”
Another student wishes that her peers would take San Benito High School’s annual “shooter on campus” drills more seriously.
One student said he feels safe on campus and that the school atmosphere is “very positive.” He suggests placing even more emphasis on student activities and organizations.
“One thing we could do is make it mandatory for all students to belong to at least one school organization, club, sport, or leadership position (ASB, club leaders, school employee),” he wrote. “This would make it much easier for students to find their desired ‘niches’ in the social environment at San Benito High School. Our school should also devote an extraordinary amount of time helping students discover their primary talents and how they can apply them to the betterment of the school and community. This gives students a stronger sense of pride and self-worth; they will feel valued and be much more involved in group activity and, in the process, not only improve the school and community, but themselves as well.”
Ignoring acts of violence was among the suggestions.
“If you think about it, these kids are really doing it for attention. If we ignore them and do not write, talk, or take photos of them, then they will see that no one cares and will eventually find other ways of getting attention and that should be enough to stop the acts of violence that are occurring.”
A few students said the school could add metal detectors, but then noted that with such a spread out, highly-populated, and unfenced campus, the logistics made that idea unfeasible. Some mentioned the need for more restrictive gun laws.
“The massacre that occurred at Virginia Tech was a very sad reality check for all schools in regards to security,” another student wrote. “It also proved that there needs to be a more accurate way of alerting students (when an incident is occurring). It may be harsh to say, but something like this needed to happen so that these important changes could be made.”
A student noted that “security has always needed to be improved on high school and college campuses. It’s really sad that it had to come to this in order for something to be changed.”
A proactive – rather than reactive – approach was suggested by another student, who said, “I think a way to prevent school violence would be to leave those who are a little ‘different’ alone.”
“The most important thing is if you feel safe on campus,” one student wrote. “If you don’t, talk to someone, let the administrators know that you feel there is a safety issue. It will not go ignored. And if you see someone who is a loner, do not antagonize them. Chances are they have problems that they cannot control.”
Violence is prevalent no matter the location, wrote one student, who added, “a premeditated attack can and will be done no matter the precautions taken. The main thing that can be done is to act upon every instinct and at every inkling that something may be wrong or suspicious to report it to authorities. Problems can be solved by nipping them in the bud, and after a horrible attack against education and its sanctity all that can be done is to take the measures necessary to prevent it from repeating itself.”
Students must not be afraid to go to school and parents shouldn’t be scared to send their children there. It is everyone’s responsibility to make safety a top priority. We must also, as our local students attest, treat everyone with respect and help those who need it.
Adam Breen teaches journalism and yearbook at San Benito High School.
