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The Student Newspaper of DePaul University

The DePaulia

The Student Newspaper of DePaul University

The DePaulia

The Student Newspaper of DePaul University

The DePaulia

Schools need more security

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In the wake of the school shooting in Newtown, Conn, people are asking the question, “are our children safe in schools?”

Parents are demanding for action to be taken to insure the safety of their children since more than 20 school shootings have taken in the United States over the last 10 years.

With the loss of 20 children and 6 educators, slaughtered by Adam Lanza, a deranged 20-year-old, once again the debate on gun control is heating up, with lots of Americans asking for a change in the law. Maybe the first step to insure the safety of students is to secure schools.

In an interview with CBS, Ken Trump of the National School Safety and Security Service expressed a concern that safety in schools has become a secondary issue in the past few years.

“In the last five or six years, we’ve seen some progress stalled do to cutbacks in resources on prevention counselors, psychologists mental health as well as the training of security personnel. There’s been an enormous focus on test scores, academics, education reform, budget cuts, and many other important issues in schools. But we have to keep school safety on the front burner.”

“Schools need to better prevent and to protect students from potential harm,” said Janw Kurtz, a mother of three. “Teachers and students should be trained more with security measures.”

A first step towards preventing students from being harmed is to look at the current security and safety procedures employed by schools. The current practice will undoubtedly vary from towns and cities across the nation.

Schools that are located in affluent communities like Newtown, have minimal security protection for their students, while schools in the south side of Chicago have metal detectors and officers patrolling the area to keep their students safe from gun violence.

Many people, especially parents are wondering how Adam Lanza was able to get into the school and why there was no one there to protect their children.

Adam Lanza broke into Sandy Hook Elementary School by firing a volley of bullets through a secured door. Some security companies have suggested that bulletproof glass and doors could have prevented Lanza from entering classroom.

Some schools have already announced that they will host assemblies to train students on what to do when facing a similar situation as what happened at Sandy Hook. School faculties hope that drills and training exercises will better the chances of student surviving in the event of another shooting.

The presence of a security officer at the school could have deterred a shooter like Lanza. Gun-rights advocates suggest that school teachers and administrators should have guns. Access to arms would allow them to protect everyone in the school environment. On the other hand, teachers wielding a gun while confronting a shooter might put their students at a greater risk of being shot.

Whether we need armed security or bullet proof doors or not, something needs to be done. Perhaps the school system in America should look into how the Transportation Security Administration has secured air travel.

At the end of the day the one thing that all we all can agree on is that we want children, students, and everyone to be safe and secure in schools. In the memory of all that perished last Friday, we must make sure that the horrific tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School never happens again, that the children and educators did not die in vain.

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  • T

    tannerFeb 22, 2021 at 1:34 pm

    there have been to many atacks

  • L

    lilouaApr 12, 2019 at 1:10 pm

    n the wake of the school shooting in Newtown, Conn, people are asking the question, “are our children safe in schools?”

    Parents are demanding for action to be taken to insure the safety of their children since more than 20 school shootings have taken in the United States over the last 10 years.

    With the loss of 20 children and 6 educators, slaughtered by Adam Lanza, a deranged 20-year-old, once again the debate on gun control is heating up, with lots of Americans asking for a change in the law. Maybe the first step to insure the safety of students is to secure schools. ppl

  • C

    ceceApr 2, 2019 at 2:21 pm

    i think that most people dont think when it comes to murdering children. this is not right

  • G

    Go GOFeb 20, 2019 at 10:12 am

    thats good

  • A

    amanat9Feb 19, 2019 at 8:17 am

    I’m happy to get this one.

  • C

    CearaMar 27, 2018 at 12:40 pm

    There are too many murders

    • K

      KyleMay 24, 2018 at 9:23 am

      There truly are