A Call For A Security Crackdown: An Opinion

My School Should Be a Safe Place.

A+Call+For+A+Security+Crackdown%3A+An+Opinion

Imani Evans, Staff Writer

About a month ago, Hillcrest High School had an intruder. They entered through the front door, walked through the cafeteria, went to the back parking lot, and proceeded to rob a teacher by gun point. Since this incident, the school’s doors still remain unlocked, and the security guards still remain lazy.

This is not the first time an incident like this has happened. There has been multiple instances on multiple occasions where a stranger has walked through the school doors. Instances have been violent. There was a situation where a student called in grown adults to help jump another student and another situation where someone from another school came in to fight a student. I should not feel as though I’m constantly in danger at school.

I’m sure we’ve all heard about the mass shooting at a Florida high school. Ever since then, there has been non-stop talk about gun regulation. The sudden media coverage this is getting is rather alarming. There have been many other school shootings and gun-related incidents since the Florida shooting sadly, and it makes me nervous. At any given point someone can walk in and do whatever they please. This is not a “it’ll never happen” matter because it’s better to be safe and take every precaution possible, than to be sorry and witness yet another tragedy unfold. In the front entrance, the security guard who is supposed to manage who comes in and out is almost never at their post, and they never keep the doors locked as they are supposed to be. The intruder who entered the building and held a teacher at gunpoint could have done anything to us, yet the door still remains unlocked, as if they are begging for someone to just walk on in.

Here’s a great suggestion: LOCK THE DOORS! Locking the doors is obviously the biggest issue here. Keep them open during the times students come in the school and then lock them after. Those who are late can get buzzed in. That’s the simplest quick fix solution to this problem. 

There is going to be some people who may disagree. They are going to feel as though school is one of the safest places to be in. To put it bluntly, they are DEAD wrong. You mean to tell me you feel safe in a place where strangers can walk in and do whatever they please? Are we going to sit around and wait for something tragic and traumatic to happen (like a mass shooting) for us to finally get stricter security? Why wait for that rude awakening? We have the time and the means to crack down on this issue before it’s too late.