The Impact of School Shootings

There has been a significant increase in school shootings. This has prompted the debate of whether metal detectors, security guards, and gated entrances should be utilized to enforce school safety. There is a decline in school shootings in certain states. These states have chosen to allow extended measures to increase school safety. Others argue that there is not enough money in the budget to spend on additional safety measures for school security. Should money be put aside for school safety and security for school budgets? A lot of lives can be saved by increasing safety measures and adding money for the protection of students and staff.

We will examine both sides of the argument.

""The February 14 shooting at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School has put renewed focus on the role of armed school security guards, creating a clear divide between supporters of armed officers."" (Rock) Some who are in favor of security guards believe that the presence of guards will stop students from bringing weapons. Others believe it will actually create anxiety and stress, especially in elementary settings. Although there are mixed emotions, many of the supporters believe there are positive consequences to include: a decrease in school fights, vandalism, and bullying. One survey found, ""that while student and staff fatalities in school shootings continue, students are reporting fewer instance of violence, theft and other abuse. The percentage of students who say they were victimized at school dropped from 10 percent in 1995 to three percent in 2005."" (Rock). Overall, it seems that there are more pros than cons for improving security measures.

Why can't an effort to increase school safety be included in the budget? More can't be done because there's not enough money in the budget. Some may believe the money they put into schools will go to unnecessary things. For example, many believe that money is spent on ""solutions"" that end up creating more problems. In Ohio, a school decided to use money on a product designed to barricade a door, only to discover ""a local interpretation of the fire code led to a decision that the devices violated state fire code."" (Hibbert) Instead of making a decision to pour money into safety measures that are seen as useless, all ideas should be fully tested before making the decision on one solution. There could be a combination of solutions to solve a problem. Wisconsin has allocated 100 million to ensure that schools are safe. ""The 100 million in grants would be used to pay for security improvements, training, and police officers."" (Rock). The regulation of school safety varies from state to state, parents and staff have to be on board and have desire to bring about change. There are other ways to improve school security through grants, fundraisers, and simply raising awareness.

Overall, there are benefits as well as consequences for increasing school safety measures. It's more beneficial to improve security in order to keep schools safe. When it is done properly, more lives are saved and people are at peace. In order to keep the community safe, there are more pros than cons for increasing safety. If we refuse not to address the issue more lives will be lost.

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