In the past year, there have been quite a few school shootings, but none of them had registered as a threat to me until Febuary 14th 2008. As you all know this is the date of the NIU shooting. For me this is hitting way close to home. I was literally in shock, and I didn't know what to think. My aunt works there as a teacher, not to mention I know very many students there. I am rarely scared, but at that moment I was petrified. I couldn't move at all. Although no one I personally knew was injured, I was still in shock about the shooting. I wanted all the anwsers, the why's, where's, who's, and the biggest question was how. How could this happen so close to home, in a small town like Dekalb, IL?
For the next few days I was literally glued to my TV and telephone begging for my questions to be anwsered. With every fact I found out I felt more sick. Being a Junior in high school I felt myself wondering if in a few years that would be the college I'm attending, and if I was going to randomly be shot down. I think several students out there share that same fear. But how can we feel safe at our schools?
I know after the shooting I found myself looking around at my own high school seeing every possible way a shooting could happen, and how, even though they did what they thought was a lot, little our school did to protect us students. I was frightened how unsafe I felt in my own school! Looking around I saw that not every classroom door was shut and locked, the windows on the doors weren't covered, no metal-detectors, freely being able to walk in and out of the school without having to go through any school security, and many more small, yet largely impacting, things, but did I really need these things for my small high school of some seven hundred people? The anwser was a given, yes, of course the school needs it, but what steps shold be taken? I think schools around the world should be asking this question. How can we keep our students safe? The truth of the matter is they can only do so much. I mean metal detectors cost money, and extra staff for security is also costly, but is that money worth the lives it may possibly save? I think students and parents alike can agree with me when I say yes, it is very worth the money. In the future I hope to see a lot more action against school shootings. Ask yourself the question and act on it. You have the power to make a difference. You have the right to feel safe in your school.
School Shootings moved closer to home: Do you feel safe in your school?
By britz-smile - Posted on March 9th, 2008
Do you feel safe in your home? Your parents are far more likely to kill you than a school shooter, you know.
I live in a very small country town, in fact we are not even incorporated. About three years ago, we were undergoing some school construction. A boy brought a gun to school and hid it under a construction trailer. Later that day, the boys parents called and told the principal that a gun was missing from their home and that they suspected their son might have it. After talking with school staff and police, he led them to the gun. He was sent to boot camp for 6 months and come next school year, guess where he ended up? Right back in our school.
We are K-12 and about 18 minutes from the police department. Imagine if he had gotten into an arguement with a teacher or another student, how high this could have escalated. There was a two page article in the newspaper a couple of days later, not exposing the boys name or anything. They wanted to keep it quiet so that parents wouldn't start an uproar. I think it is sad that this has happened, and there is no telling how many other schools that this same scenario has gone on.
I hate having to be in the same classroom as this guy daily. There are no special restrictions on him, we have no metal detectors, we still have access to roam abou the campus as we wish. It just goes to show you can never trust anyone.