Opinion Essay

School. It’s a place everyone has to go and grow up in, but do you really believe in the safety you have there? Or how easily something could go wrong? From gun control to bullying to security I will explain how truly unsafe a school may be.

I believe that schools are not safe, especially old schools that have not been updated since all the chaos has arrived. Every school has something that is unsafe, but certain schools- like our own- is certainly not prepared for anything that could happen.

For example, gun control. It was not needed until the school shooting in Florida when everyone realized just how easily someone with a gun can come into the school. Security with visitors and students is not very put together, and the president clearly doesn’t care about the children of the future, so our schools should. Someone could easily carry one through their backpack.

To add to that, the doors at Bowie are always unlocked. Two doors in front of the school, the back you can easily just walk right in from the portables entrance, and the gate that’s closed near Wolftrap does nothing. Andy, a security employee on a golf cart, closes it throughout the day and even locked a Firetruck in. There’s another exit so it’s very unnecessary. And students walk in and out all the time, so no one will find it weird if someone walks in randomly through a passing period.

Another thing is security. We have over three-thousand students here at this school, and I only see two security guards. And most times, actual teachers are expected to be the security as well before school and during their free periods. They even have teachers stand by doors to the academic hall so students may not go through, even though nobody checks us at the front doors, so there’s no point. It doesn’t make the school any less safe is someone walks in the front of side doors with a gun or weapon.

And, my final point, student IDs. They think that if a student has an ID it will automatically protect all students from any danger. No one checks for IDs and most certainly cares enough to do so. Most of the school shooters throughout the years have been actual students, so it will not protect us from anymore harm.

Therefore, we clearly will need a solution. Or even multiple. I think if teachers and staff are so passionate about having students come in through the front, then they should have a metal detector at the front doors. It will give teachers a reason to send students through the front doors, and ensure no one is carrying a weapon.

Another example of a solution is more security. We could use security cameras to look through the hallways for anything suspicious, it would be recorded evidence that could help track down any culprit or if bullying is happening. We could also use more guards in case of anything, such as fights or if someone has a weapon they can enable them and take them down before more harm is done.

In conclusion, I believe that our school is not safe. It is not ready for any form of attack or emergency, we don’t have enough security, and students need to feel safe in a place they grow up in.