Let’s Start By Securing Our Schools

I will begin by telling you a story about my sweet aunt, who once taught home economics at a small town Missouri high school.  I loved her dearly, and before Lupus disease consumed and eventually took her life, she was a vibrant, caring woman who was never short of smiles and words of wisdom.  But after all of those wonderful qualities, I could never have seen her carrying a gun on her person.  The dear woman could barely carry a drink in a glass without spilling it, and she would have been the first to tell you that she probably couldn’t shoot an elephant with a shotgun at point blank range. No… I am not encouraging the shooting of elephants, it’s just an example of her lack of coordination to handle a firearm in a peaceful situation, let a lone a hostile one.

Regardless of her talents, she wouldn’t have wanted to carry one anyway. It was not her job to police the schools, but to teach.  I can think of a lot of teachers just like her that would feel the same way.  I spent a few years in education, some in the inner city schools in Kansas City, and only those who have taught and been a teacher can understand how challenging their job truly is.  So, this talk about arming teachers, or that they somehow could carry a firearm into a school facility truly is a radical, unrealistic solution.

But at least security at our school is the right discussion.  We can talk about gun regulation and mental illness all we want, but that still doesn't stop mentally ill people from walking into schools with illegal guns. Not all mentally ill people get help, and not all of them will be kept from getting their hands on guns. So, let's do something we can control, which is secure our schools, and keep the gunners out. I doubt there would be as much disagreement that we need to protect our children, first and foremost.

I posted the prior paragraph on Facebook and received all sorts of responses, the greater being the suggestion that teachers carry guns.  I am assuming that none of those people have ever been teachers, but even if they have, I would wager all the money in my wallet (which is not much) that they are a minority.  The precarious situations that would create make it a truly unreasonable solution.  There are several issues that need to be discussed, but the first and most attainable in the short term is securing our schools.

I saw on the news this morning that President Obama calls for a discussion on gun violence.  That is great, that discussion does need to take place, but we all know that is more political than anything else.  The first calls need to be to school superintendents, chiefs of police, and country sheriffs, to talk about an immediate, mandatory protection of our schools and children.  If the past has taught us anything, schools are a key target for this type of behavior.  Obama said this has to stop… well, let’s minimize the possibility by increasing security first.

With my experience in inner city schools, I can tell you that an armed gunmen like the ones that caused these tragedies in the past few years would have unlikely ever entered those schools.  There is only one entrance to the school and all students have to pass through metal detectors.  The security professionals are trained to recognize threats, and we need to spare our teachers with that kind of burden.

Securing our schools does not mean turning them into armed fortresses, with razor wire and fatigued soldiers carrying AR-15s. Some security officers I have seen at schools wear polo shirts and khaki slacks.  There is indeed a need for the understanding of child psychology and not making them think that people are trying to get in the school and cause them harm.  It’s kind of like the President’s secret service, we know they are there and what they are for, but they don’t stand out like a sore thumb. 

Regardless of gun control debates, I don’t even want to engage in the dialogue about the issues with mentally ill people, people with learning disabilities, disorders, or whatever ails them to the point of where they plan horrific acts of violence.  There might be some truth to their inspiration being violent TV shows, movies, musical lyrics, or video games, but initiating censorship violates another one of our constitutional rights, and creates a debate even more controversial than gun control.  The key point is that it solves nothing NOW.

The fastest, most immediate solution to these threats is to increase security at our schools.  It’s a dialogue that does not require any action from our President, but the local authorities who are fully empowered to make the appropriate decisions.  There can be an interim solution to protect our children NOW, and then a carefully planned, long-term solution, by creating secured locations, installing monitoring and detecting systems, and specialized training to recognize these threats, just as our police are trained to recognize illegal activity on the streets of our city.

Before we go off on tangents and our own personal, anger driven and subjective fantasies, let’s think first and foremost about what is truly important here, and that’s the safety of our children.  I want them protected NOW, as well as in the future, and ongoing debates about gun violence, mental illness, Aspergers, mental retardation, or IQ levels does nothing to initiate an immediate, interim solution.  For anyone to suggest that I am discriminating against any of the former mentioned, is just ludicrous.  This is not a time for political correctness. I don't care if they're white, black, Hispanic, Asian, mentally ill, or have a PhD, I just don't want them hurting our children.  And for the life of me, I cannot understand how anyone can let their personal egos and political agendas overshadow the lives of innocent children.

I don’t always agree with President Obama, but I do agree that “we can’t tolerate this anymore.”  Let’s think about the kids without debate. We don’t have time for it.

Steven Law is the author of Yuma Gold (Berkley, 2011) and The True Father (Goldminds, 2008). Visit his website at www.stevenlaw.com.

Comments

[G. Aliceson Edwards]

Excellent suggestion of making safer school buildings as the place to begin and be most effective. It dismays me to read that your post has been attacked for various reasons.

I just retired from teaching and I can see all three of the school buildings in my district from my back door. The people there are not just my neighbors, but beloved friends and family too. I want them to be safe next door and I agree that providing more secure schools is the way to begin. We cannot fix all of the problems of individuals, but we CAN operate more secure buildings. What argument can used against this? Too much money, won't always work, and it is inconvenient? Is money more important than lives? Is the fact that someone who truly wants to breech the system might be able, a valid reason not to try to make it as hard as possible for them to do so to allow more time for help to arrive? Is any inconvenience that provides safety too much?
Students and families trust our schools to be safe and and they should. It is ironic that we would send backpacks of food home to feed students, yet not provide appropriate security measures to prevent those intent on entering to do harm.

We can do better.

[Terri]

Totally agree, Steven. After this happened, I thought about how much harder to get on a plane it is, yet anyone can walk into a school - where we send the joys of our lives. I cannot comprehend the terror the children (and the staff) endured...and the answer is not to arm the teachers. Let them teach! I think one of our first steps should be to make it as close to impossible for anyone intending harm to even enter the schools. There is no easy answer...but it is a starting point.