6 Truths About The Lack of Safety at Schools

Schools are places of learning where children are supposed to be safe. However, it is an unfortunate reality that schools compromise the safety of their students in many ways. By focusing on some of the ways schools lack safety, you can begin a conversation on how to improve the security of students.

1. Bullies Are Ignored By School Staff

It is a fact of life that in many schools, the safety and security of children are put at risk because adults do not properly intervene in interactions between students. When children go to school, they are entitled to be in a safe space where their overall well-being is tended to. This means that children should not be physically, verbally or emotionally bullied to such harsh extents. However, schools frequently become un-safe havens for children who end up getting bullied.

Many times, bullies get away with their actions and keep up their bad behaviors. Despite the fact that schools are run by adults who are legally obligated to watch over and protect children, not enough is done to protect the children who are most vulnerable.

2. Teachers And Administrators Blame Victims of Bullying

In some cases, the victims of verbal, emotional and physical bullying might be blamed by the adults around them. If a child who is victimized by others at school stands up to the aggressors, he/she might be blamed and penalized by the adults who were supposed to protect him/her. The adults who work for the school might choose to ignore or downplay the needs of the children who are being victimized. There have even been situations where teachers, themselves, have bullied children.

3. Open and Unlocked Doors

Many schools have doors that are open and/or unlocked. This poses a huge safety threat to students because anyone can come into a building and cause trouble. Sometimes, doors are left all the way open and you can look into school buildings. When a door is left wide open like that, that is an invitation for bad people to walk in.

4. No Security Guards

It is also quite sad that many schools do not have security guards. A lot of schools that do have security guards do not have enough guards walking around. In some situations, the guards aren’t stationed well enough throughout the school. In the case of the Parkland shooter, there was supposed to be an armed guard on the grounds, though he was nowhere to be seen.

Even when there is a security guard on staff, one must question how good the existence of the security guard really is. For example, what will the guard do, exactly, if an intruder comes into a school? Does the guard have a firearm on his or her person to use? Does the guard have any sort of walkie talkie or communication device to alert others to threats? Is the person outfitted with any means to act as quick and effectively as possible? Is the person unarmed, physically weak and/or without any form of communication? How effective would a security guard actually be?

5. Schools Do Not Engage Children And Their Communities Enough

With the rise of school shootings and the existence of classroom violence, one must wonder why such things occur. The actions of those who act out violently stem from feelings of insecurity brought on by a lack of belonging and a lack of feeling welcomed.

Schools expose children to environments that don’t completely engage them, their families and their communities. As a result, there are feelings of detachment and being lost. This condition degrades the morale of the student body and the school experience. It makes schools less safe because there is a higher chance of a student snapping and acting out against other students.

When schools create safer, more supportive, more engaging environments, children are properly being cared for and educated. This shows in higher test grades and better behavior statistics. Charter schools actually use this argument to justify their existence and their newer approaches to educating children and creating supportive school environments.

6. Not Enough Safety Protocols

Many schools do not check bags or have metal detectors. Of course, some can argue that such things are an invasion of one’s privacy. However, these protocols can also be seen as necessary for the safety of students.

In conclusion, these are the 6 ways that schools lack safety. Bullies are overlooked by school staff, school staff members sometimes blame and bully victims, doors are frequently unlocked and/or open, there are no security guards around and schools do not engage communities enough.