School safety, security, and violence prevention resource

School has not been opened for more than a couple of months and we already have reports of a violent incident in at least one school in America. It happened on Tuesday of this week. A student was stabbed during an altercation in a hallway around noon of that day. The Daily Review has this report:

The Hayward High student stabbed Tuesday was taken to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley for treatment and was later released, Hayward police Sgt. Steve Brown said.

A student is in police custody after admitting to the stabbing. He was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and was taken to juvenile hall, Brown said. No details of either student’s identity were released, but Superintendent Dale Vigil described the youths as “underclassmen.”

School officials said the campus was not locked down Tuesday after the stabbing, but a “no-pass period” was enacted, during which classes continued and students were not allowed in the hallways.
Officials said the incident happened at 11:52 a.m., between classes. Students were gathered in the hallway and some sort of disturbance occurred, resulting in the stabbing.

The victim suffered minor, non-life-threatening injuries, Brown said.

I guess some would think that all is well that ends well and it seems that this is how some students think. Some were interviewed the next day and they didn’t seem to be very concerned about what happened. One senior student, by the name of Conrad Creedon is even quoted as saying “It was just one event, and it’s not anything for me to worry about. I mean fights do happen, but I feel pretty safe on campus.”

Though it could be seen in a good light – students feel safe when they are in school – it could also mean that people might not be seeing the situation in a more realistic light. You know how we see violence in movies and in the news and we think that it could not possibly happen where we live? We even have this coming statement “Oh, it only happens in the movies.”

I cannot help but think that this way of thinking might undermine the need for school safety measures. If people do not think much about a student getting stabbed – whether it is in school or not – then people might not be convinced of the need to enforce school safety standards. And if this happens, they might just be caught unawares when an incident does occur.

I don’t mean to be an alarmist. I know that not all places are as high risk as some. But then again, being ready and aware is so much better than having to deal with an emergency situation ill equipped simply because we thought that it could never happen to us.

So what is the solution here? I think that the school authorities and parents connected to the school should re-evaluate whatever safety standards and procedures they have in place. Perhaps the students could be exposed to the notion that they might have to deal with unsafe situations and that they have to be aware of the actions that they need to take in case that happens.

Don't miss another post -- subscribe by email or RSS today!