Safety in Highschools..

[FarEastStyle]

"September 29 in Cazenovia Wisconsin, a 9th grader with a shot gun and a .22 revolver entered his highschool and shot the principal 3 times.
The student had recently been disciplined for having tobacco in school.
He has now been charged with murder."

Here in the States school shootings has been on a disturbing rise lately.
In my state of Wisconsin, Lawmakers Propose allowing school employees to carry concealed guns.

I think in some minds having school employees carrying weapons will make possible shooters think twice. Though it may make students feel safer, if a disgruntled student or a person with a death wish wants to shoot up a school then he will do it regardless.

Ofcourse shot to kill would be the last resort on the teachers part.
The Highschool in Cazenovia had code alarms going off so the teachers and students knew someone had a gun. I think its better than being a sitting duck.

For highschools do you think it will help keep students safer knowing that teachers will be packing? Or do you think its a bit over reacting?

Would you want this for your highschool?

[Kristen]

Well, when I was in my school district, I felt rather safe. Kids in my town are weird, obnoxious and crazy, but not so far to the point of clear insanity. Although, during my eighth grade year in junior high- School was cancelled because of a bomb threat. Over last summer, I got into a fight with some girls from school whilst I was in summer school and one of the girls boyfriends flew off the handle and threatened to kill my best friend and I. It got so bad that my parents called the police on this boy and he was arrested during school and was held until he was brought to my house with his mother (after she bailed him out) and had to formally apologize. Then, the homecoming of my senior year in high school, a bomb threat was called in and homecoming was cancelled. It really sucked for everyone that had spent all the money to get dressed up and such because the bomb threat was called in after homecoming had already begun.

But with all this hubbub, I still believe that my city is one of the safest to live in, because it's true. Some horrible things have happened there, but it was years ago that they had and since then, nothing has really actually followed through. My old high school takes proper care of it's students and watches them carefully to make sure they stay safe. My junior year they had installed cameras at every corner in the hallway so that nothing would go down without someone knowing about it, first. Also, a camera is placed outside the main entrance (which remains locked throughout the day with a staff member at each door) and you must buzz a wall buzzer to get in after telling what your business is. You must then actually SIGN in and go to your destination. We've had problems in the past where creepy people would get in and act weird or do weird things, so they're really trying to keep the high school safe and maintain it's high status. People travel for miles to come to my school through School of Choice programs, etc.

It's a very good school district, possibly the best in the county.

[Ωmega]

I dont think there should be any guns in school, even if it is in the hands of a teacher. If anything, school should up their security and arm them with tazors, maze, and maybe a sort of pellet gun. I mean, whos to say a student wont steal the gun from the teacher?
Theres been a few cases where someone entered the school with a gun back when I was in highschool. They announced 'code red' on the P.A, and teachers IMMEDAITLY locked their classroom doors and turned off all lights in the room, and told the students to remain quiet.
Thats probably the best way to handle the situation.

[Sagat]

Meanwhile lurking far below this constant talk of arming staff in a basic "arms race" against students (the heights of which it will reach still unknown) the real reasons people are lashing out violently remains ignored as it continues to build.

Think arming staff or teachers will solve matters? Please. All that will be done is escalating everything to the next step. It's a continual progression to more and more armaments and violence. Society is the problem, society continues to gloss over the problem, the problem will grow. One hell of an OODA loop if you ask me.

[Ami~chan]

Arming the staff is stupid; teachers could be just as likely to go on a shooting spree as any student. If the staff had to arm themselves with something, mace would do the trick.

But really; if a kid wanted to bring a weapon to school, they'll find a way to do it. My school has never had a shooting, but we've had two bomb threats in the past four years.

[Opinionated]

No school I've ever been in(7 schools in four districts) has had a bomb threat or a student entering with a gun, though rumors flew when they told us to dress like cowboys on a Friday(game day), someone filled their empty holster with something more lethal than silly string. But, as it would seem that they'd lock the school down(or something) and nothing happen, it was probably unfounded.

Arming the teachers probably won't do anything, as then they'll get charged if they fire the gun at a student with a gun, and they're likely to miss and hit an innocent student. That alone should be enough to keep most teachers from doing this.

Does anyone else get ticked off when they blame EVERYONE but the shooter after a school shooting? It's always society or the school that gets the glare, not the person who walked in and started shooting. That pisses me off.

[Princess Cupcake]

Here in the States school shootings has been on a disturbing rise lately.

Yes, I've noticed this. They're all over the news, unfortunately. I go to school with the feeling that nothing could happen to me and the feeling of being secure is set. With some schools, that might not be it. I'd surely not want anything like that to transpire in my school or any other.

[Manhattan_Project_2000]

Does anyone else get ticked off when they blame EVERYONE but the shooter after a school shooting? It's always society or the school that gets the glare, not the person who walked in and started shooting. That pisses me off.

That's because a human is nothing but a walking reaction to stimuli. Einstein and Hitler were both nothing but entities capable of remembering events, and reacting based on those memories. What an individual does is nothing but societies fault. You correct the individual, but his failings are societies failings.

To put it in the simplest terms: Garbage In, Garbage out.

[Gjallarhorn]

I wouldn't like the idea of the employees (teachers) carrying guns. But, my school does have a small police department with about 20 police stationed there, as it is the only department on the side of my town where my school is located. They are armed, but I've never actually seen them have to remove them from the holster, though I have seen them use force against a few students who decided it was intelligent to attack a police officer. Of course, with a school of 6400 or more students, there is a lot of precautions being taken every day.

[Masali]

Nothing has EVER happened at my school that was any cause for worry. Well, one time my friend (who will remain nameless) brought a knife to school. He didn't do anything with it, and only showed a couple people. It wasn't so much "I'm going to kill someone" as much as it was "Isn't this cool?". But then again, he's crazy.

However, I don't know if any of you have heard but some Amish people were shot up in Lancaster (I think) PA, which is a relatively close distance from my house...well, still kind of far but not unrealistically far, but you get the idea.

[akiko_kalla]

Umm...that doesn't make sense. Typically schools try to prevent weapons from entering the school to minimize the risk of anything happening. That is why so many have metal detectors and security cameras. I have never heard of a school, nor do I think it should be allowed or considered, allowing staff to carry weapons. Security officers or police officers yeah, but not teachers, janitors, secretaries, etc. That's just asking for trouble. (Not to mention anything can be used as a weapon if necessary or desired.)

I also don't see how a student would feel safe knowing everyone except himself has a weapon. o_O Teachers, for the most part anyway, do not wish harm to students, so s/he would be far more likely to try to get the weapon from the child or get the other students away than to shoot. We are trained to teach and care for students--the whole student, not kill, hurt or fight. Teachers are not trained, certified, or otherwise taught in the use of weapons and being as the government would most certainly not fund such a thing the union would strike. If for no other reason than it places the teacher and other students in danger. Not only would such a situation make schools more dangerous it goes against the fundamentals of teaching and reasons most teachers started teaching. Not knowing if someone has a gun will breed overreaction, not safety.

It is a concern the recent trends, but perhaps people should start trying to figure out why such events are occurring before they give the teacher a liscense, and expectation, to shoot if confronted. Personally I would rather the student shot me than another student, him/herself, or me to shoot at the student. It would only confirm the reasons the student is most likely in the situation in the first place. I really must question the validity of such a consideration as I do not see how it is in the best interest of anyone save those wishing to ignore the problem, but then again there have been some rather interesting decisions in education over the past few years. Regardless, I doubt such a thing will come to pass.

[der Scharfschüt]

I would be screwed at my school if some kid started shooting up the place. Our city's building a new high school right now, so they're not worried about improving the old one. Well anyways, the doors on the classrooms can only be locked from the outside lol, and the cop we have at the school can't tell his gun from his.. well to keep it apropriate I'll just say he "isn't very good" lol

[Grim Scythe]

yea um my school used to get regular bombthreats but that died down before i was going to it
and outside of school i carry a knife because a knife is useful and iv forgotten to leave it home a few times
i dont do anything about it except keep it away and not showing it off like " haha i brought a weapon to school im cool haha im gonna get suspended." (its a small knife but a knife all the same)
personally if a kid ever came to school armed i might try to do something about it

[Faceless111]

School shootings have become just plain silly. The rates of these occurances are ridiculus! My solution: no more school. Leave it to the postal services to go postal with shootings. I'd rather be stupid and alive than educated and dead.