Modern schools are designed with safety and security in mind. Due to the fact that most schools handle high numbers of students at a fast pace every day, security has become a science in these establishments. Both passive and active security measures are taken to defend a school from internal and external threats. When these measures fail or a school faces a threat that cannot be turned away such as a tornado or earthquake, it is important that proper disaster contingency plans are in place to minimize the danger. Just as in other fields, school security must keep up with modern technology and adapt to become more effective. It is true that the technology used to defend schools has grown in leaps and bounds over the last decade and schools have begun to use such high tech measures as automatic locks, electronic perimeter access control, and security cameras. Unfortunately, little has been done to merge security technology with personal technology. It is a reality of the modern age; almost everyone has an iPhone or an Android phone. These devices are capable of running a wide variety of applications, from games to social networks to utilities. Properly utilized, these devices can be used to increase overall campus security and augment existing safety measures.
Over the past several years, a phenomenon has occurred: crises on school grounds have become increasingly common. Since the 2012 catastrophe at Sandy Hook, there have been forty four school shootings in the United States. Though almost none of these events received any significant media attention, they are still an indication that security must be taken very seriously in schools. Fortunately, most schools have begun to make changes within the past decade. In the wake of C...
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...“it can happen here” until a crisis actually occurs. This type of unrealistic thinking puts everyone on a school campus at risk since the reality is, a crisis can happen anywhere. Even the smallest, most secluded schools can face a violent intruder on campus just as the largest can, and natural disasters can strike anywhere. “When do people want increased airport security? After a bomb or security scare. When do people want increased school security? After a crisis or tragedy occurs somewhere else. Months and sometimes weeks later, everyone forgets and it is back to normal” (Trump 19). In reality, school security isn't about inciting panic in a student body, it is really about helping avert a crisis before it happens, as working to stop one after it has happened is a mistake that can cost lives.
Through the careful observation of several school crisis case studies,
Gee, Denise J. "After Sandy Hook, a New Wave of School Security - The Buffalo News." Www.buffaloNews.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2014.
On December 12, 2012, Sandy Hook Elementary School was invaded by an unstable, armed man. Earlier that year the principal of the school, Dawn Hochsprung, implemented a new security system that required all visitors to buzzed into the school by visual identification. Many schools have also put in similar security systems to have school doors locked at all times during the school day, helping insure students’ safety. For Sandy Hook this minor security system would not be enough. When the gunman arrived to the school, he shot his way through the front do...
Populous places such as shopping malls or airports contain metal detectors in all the exits but in schools they are not necessary. People think they wont change much and they can be added to the school without any negative effects but they disrupt the school much more than that. The article discusses, “The weapon detection program requires 9 security officers for approximately 2 hours
The history of school shootings has shown an increase in mass school shooting. The very first known school shooting in the United States occurred on July 26, 1764 in present-day Greencastle, Pennsylvania. As part of the Pontiac's Rebellion, four Lenape Native Americans entered the school house and started shooting, killing the schoolmaster Enoch Brown and about nine students. Only two students survived the massacre (“History”). Since the 1700s the United States society has changed in many ways. Schools have become more than just one room school houses and each grade has its own teacher. Furthermore, the problem of school shootings has not decreased but rather increased over the years. On the one hand, reports from the Centers for Disease Control showed that in general school violence decreased from 1992 to 200...
In light of recent acts of violence in the nation’s schools, school safety and security have become a hot topic. However, the issue of school safety goes beyond student violence. It includes property damage, theft, and anything else that concerns the overall well being of schools. While it is important to create a safe environment in schools it is also necessary to make sure students feel comfortable in this atmosphere. The security can not be so overbearing that it becomes a negative tactic that gets in the way of the students main objective, learning. Barely noticeable cameras, ID cards, and security guards without uniforms can help generate this safe, but comfortable learning environment. On the other hand metal detectors and mini police forces may be a little too reminiscent of George Orwell’s novel, 1984, or even modern prisons. School security should not be overbearing or obtrusive where it gets in the way of a comfortable environment that is conducive to learning in the nation’s schools.
It is a sad time in American history when one can easily recount recent school shootings in their own area. This ease stems from a sharp increase in the number of firearms brought into elementary and middle schools across the country, with an intense focus on the issue beginning after the shooting of 20 children from Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut. Most school shooters are male, white, and often upper middle class. They are also more, often than not, under some type of mental stress that is causing them to create this type of violence in our communities. In fact, many school shooters are never suspected of doing any harm to their peers and teachers until it is much too late.
How safe do you feel when you attend school everyday? Many students and faculty don’t really think too much about school being a dangerous place; however, after a couple of school shootings had taken place their minds and thoughts may have changed completely. On April 16, 2007, in the town of Blacksburg Virginia, a college student who attended Virginia Tech, opened gunfire to his fellow classmates. This shooting has been considered to be the biggest massacre in all of American history. There are many things to be discussed in this major tragedy. Some of them include the events leading up to the shooting, the timeline that the shootings occurred, the causes, and the significance in this particular shooting. The Virginia Tech is only one of the several examples of the horrible behavior and violence in our school systems today.
It is necessary for the schools in the United States to take more action in order to keep the students safe during the day. It is obvious that schools are not safe, forcing everyone to take a part in stopping the violent behavior which takes place in schools on a daily basis. There are many warning signs and ways to prevent this violence from taking place, it is just a matter of using money more wisely and creating more programs for preventing violence before it erupts in schools. There is no excuse for students to feel unsafe in an environment which the government forces them to be in. It is necessary that more action take place and that more training take place in order for schools to be safer, and in the event where violence does occur, the staff of the school is equipped to stop it before it gets out of hand. There is no time like now to keep the children and our schools safe from predators and especially from school violence.
Preventing School Shootings From 1980’s till now, there are has been many school shootings. Many researchers have made many hypotheses as to why these occur. The most tragic shooting took place in Sandy Hook Elementary. 2.
Although most security measures passively make schools safer, it is not nearly enough to prevent an individual who intends on creating mass violence from completing his or her task. State representatives, national organizations, school staff, and parents need to come together to figure out the most reliable ways to prevent an active shooter situation from occurring in their schools. One solution that has been active is many schools have partnered with local law enforcement agencies to provide a police officers to patrol school grounds....
“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.
The issue of school safety has become a controversial topic in the United States, due to tragic acts of violence occurring on a daily basis. American citizens should never have to cope with the negative impact of school violence, no matter how often they hear about the tragedies (Jones, "Parents" 1). In the past, schools were viewed as a safe place for children to get an education. Recently, the concern over violence in schools has taken a toll on many parents, school administrators, and legislatures (Eckland 1). Studies have shown that there are over 3 million acts of violence in American public schools each year. Not all occurrences are serious and deadly, but they occur on a daily basis throughout our country (Jones, “School” 6). This has caused many parents to worry about the well-being of their children while they are in class. This has also led to an increase in questions and concerns by parents and guardians. Many people have asked, “What are you doing about safety and security on my child’s campus” (Schimke 2). School violence is the cause of elevated worry and fear for their children, and school districts should enforce better security.
If you ask most parents they will say the most important thing for their child is to be healthy, safe and get a good education. Most parent believe it is important for their child to get a good education so they can go to college and get a good job so they can have a better life. All children receive education and are required to go to school k-12. It is important for teachers to understand and use theory in their classroom. If teachers understand theory and the theorist it could help bring a better learning atmosphere for schools. Schools though out the United States bring a different learning atmosphere. The United States is faced with the ongoing problem of poverty. Families all over the United States are struggling. A lot of child who grow up in a family struggling with poverty drop out of school to get a job to help their family survive. Poverty is a big problem but so is school safety. Safety in schools is so important and over the last ten years there has been a lot of school shooting and violence. Giving children an education while keeping them safe is important. Teaching school safety continues
Ever since incidents such as 9/11 and Columbine, high schools have started implementing new rules regarding cellphones. Cellphones attract the attention of building managers, teachers, parents, and students. Although teachers see them as a distraction and a way to cheat, they can be quite helpful to students. School districts should permit students to use cellular devices in school for purposes of improving their education and providing themselves with a sense of security. By permitting the use of cellphones in school, students can increase their knowledge and complete school work by using applications and other features on their smartphones.
Thousands of people are affected by the lack of school safety in schools across the nation. Students everywhere are attending schools that are more dangerous than expected. This is a growing concern everywhere, and schools need to improve, or else they are prone to being unsafe. Whether it is building, drill, concussion, social, or technology safety, schools need to improve to lower the risk of an incident.