Students shouldn’t have to worry about safety at school | The Triangle

Students shouldn’t have to worry about safety at school

Photograph courtesy of Olivier Douliery at Abaca Press/TNS

As students, children are exposed to some of the most formative years of their lives. School is a necessity for most people and when the time comes to send children to school, parents have to put their trust in the institution that their kids will be attending for several years. For this reason, of course, it is crucial that students always feel safe while they’re at school.

However, this is not always the case.

Mass shootings have been happening for years in the U.S., and in 2018, 30 have already occurred. Schools have especially been a target for these shootings. Terrifying images of the aftermath of these incidents and the identities of the victims are shown in news coverage, and by now, people are becoming desensitized to them.

I’m not sure if new gun control laws or stricter background checks for people who purchase guns are the solution. Every shooting always sparks debate among society, but it seems that the recent incident in Parkland, Florida has launched plenty of conversations over what’s next in helping to prevent this from happening again.

Stopping gun violence in schools does not have an easy solution, and this is evident through the constant debate surrounding this topic. When someone is passionate about an issue, it is difficult to understand another’s point of view, but by arguing, nobody is doing anything to put forth effort in preventing mass shootings.

While I was in high school, my school received multiple shooting threats. One was made when I was a freshman just before we went on Christmas break. Multiple people had threatened to shoot up the school on the same day.

I had to walk across the school by myself to go to a classroom. The hallways were completely empty and quiet, and I was nervous that something was going to happen. I realized that I should take the threat with a grain of salt since it was unfounded, but the thought of it actually happening couldn’t escape my mind.

Another threat came when I was a senior, and it was actually serious enough that most parents wanted to keep their children home for the day. This threat was unfounded as well, but any time one is made, it should not be taken lightly. It is shameful that people will recklessly make these threats and cause hundreds of students to fear for their lives in the one place that they are required to spend most of their time.

People seem to act like they know the solution, but there isn’t only one way to solve this issue. Everybody must start a non-stop conversation around gun violence and control. It seems that there is plenty of discussion on these topics in the wake of a recent tragedy.

No matter how we think of a way to better prevent mass violence in schools, it should always be noted that students should never feel unsafe in their school environment.

Grades 1-12 were very pivotal in shaping my life and giving me a proper education, and I can only hope that every student also gets the chance to have positive experiences in school.