"Safe Schools?"

When you think of school, “safe” probably isn’t the first word that comes to mind. While schools commonly practice preparatory drills for any sort of danger (fire, lockdown, etcetera), this does not necessarily guarantee the safety of students and staff alike.

Notable examples of dangerous attacks in a school include:

●      On April 20th, 1999, Columbine High School senior students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold planned a highly planned and complex attack that involved shootings, a fire bomb diversion, and 99 explosive devices placed throughout the school. The attack resulted in 13 casualties (12 students and one teacher) and a total of 24 injuries.

●      The Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting was called the deadliest mass shooting at grade school or high school. On December 14th, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children and six adult staff members before taking his own life in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

●      In February of this year, a 14-year-old female student of Dunbarton High School injured six students as well as three staff members wielding two knives. The student was faced with 17 charges: one count of assault, two counts of assault with a weapon, six counts of assault causing bodily harm, seven counts of assault with a weapon and one count of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

These unfortunate incidences (as well as many, many others) have impacted communities in ways that affect every parent’s, every student’s, and every teacher’s own concern for safety. Although not every reason behind these attacks are the same, it is important to note the plausible causes as well as improve security protocols in any way possible.