School shootings
The recent increase in School shootings across America has made schools tighten their security significantly, schools are implementing metal detectors, mandatory bag checks and school police, to make sure no weapons enter the school grounds and make sure all students are safe.
Every morning from 7:30 to 8:05a.m the school gates are open and the student are able to freely enter the school after their check, after that the school gates are closed, only school personal or people who has been given a entry permit are able to enter the school. The gates do once again open at 2:00p.m where the students are able to leave the school and take the school busses home.
But recently students have started to complain over the newly tighten security, the students are annoyed by the new morning checks, they have to wait in line for around 15-20 minutes before entering the school. Some students are also starting to feel more paranoid and unsafe then they did before the extra security was added. A student at Springfield Highschool says – “I feel like a wrongly convicted criminal entering a jail of potential mass murderers, and I can tell my classmates feel the same way I do, everyone is sticking to who they know”. The principle of Springfield High is very concerned with the students’ insecurity but says –“The students of Springfield High are not use to the new security yet, but they will most likely feel more at ease once they get use to it, as long as they have nothing to hide”
We interviewed a psychologist who is an expert in teen behaviour and asked her if this might affect the children’s mental state she said –“if the children are constantly reminded that there is a threat out there, it might have a negative influence on them, especially in their age when hormonesø. are still flowing rapidly though their body and this extra pressure that is being applied might affect their learning capabilities negatively”.
Most of the parents however are thrilled with the new security at school, and feel more at ease when sending their child off to school every morning, a mother of one of the children attending the school said this in an interview –“after hearing about all the recent shootings in the news I was beginning to be a little paranoid about sending my child of to school every morning, and I was even considering to start home schooling him, but after they installed the new security I feel like I can sleep at ease”. There is however a few parents that feel the guards and metal detectors are a huge waste of tax money, and that these sort of things where never necessary in their time.
In an interview with the school police I asked them what had been confiscated over the past month he had worked there, he said –“over the last month or so we have found 23 pocket knives and 3 bullets on students, but we have not found any guns yet” the guard also told us that he believed that the knives he had confiscated might have saved other student from severe injuries, since there is a lot of violence at Springfield high.
The principle of Springfield High has no plans for changing how to security system currently works, schools nationwide are currently tightening their security to make the schools a safer place for everyone and to avoid as many schools shooting as possible.