School safety, security, and violence prevention resource

I don’t know if it is just me but it seems that whenever I read news articles and features on school safety, most of the action and noise come from the authorities, parents, or other concerned groups. It is rare that I read something about students actually voicing out their concerns regarding school safety.

A recent incident in Rochester, New York has proven my conceptions to be wrong, though. According to WHEC-TV, students from all over the area showed up in large numbers to protest during a school board meeting. In particular, East High School students came in droves to voice out their concerns. The report goes:

While it was packed inside the school board meeting, there were also hundreds of people outside who were there to protest and voice their opinions on school safety.
Hundreds of people, teachers, administrators and students were standing outside the building with signs to protest.

Students from schools all over the area showed up, in particular, there was a large number of students there from East High School.

Several East High students protested Thursday night. They say they feel unsafe at school and that Thursday’s events make it obvious the system is not working. If the system were working, the gun would have never gotten inside the school.

Apparently there was a gun found in the cafeteria of East High School yesterday morning. A separate report by the same station reads:

Students were nervous and parents were worried as East High School went into lockdown around 11 a.m. this morning for the report of a weapon on school grounds. Rochester Police found a handgun in the cafeteria late this afternoon and they are now questioning two students.

The report originated from a student who first saw the gun and told a teacher. Within minutes, police swarmed the campus and the entire school was locked down and parents began to arrive at the school. All 200 students inside the room were locked down and then moved to the auditorium.

I normally am not into protests and demonstrations, to be honest. But this protest, I actually approve of, if only because the students are now realizing the import of school safety and they are willing to do something about it. After all, the students are at the forefront of the issue and if an effective and lasting solution is to be found, they will probably be part of it. I am hoping that students in other parts of the States will not need a wake up call such as the one that East High students experienced before they stand up and work towards safe schools.

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