Violence in Schools is Increasing
17 school shootings and over 130 mass shootings have occurred in the US in 2023 as of March 28. School shootings have increased 163% since 2020 according to the K-12 School Shooting Database. This year, there have been 17 K-12 school shootings in 2023 according to The Washington Posts database, with the most recent being at the Covenant School in Nashville. In those incidents, a total of 13 students have been killed, and eight have been injured. (This data does not include shootings that occur on College campuses.)
With the increase of school shootings, schools are implementing new safety measures. Some examples include: cameras, buzzers, upgraded locks, and panic buttons according to the New York Times article: Panic Buttons, Classroom Locks: How Schools Have Boosted Security.
According to Ms. Allison Hoskins, the SHJS Assistant Principal, the safety measures located in SJHS include, nightlocks, stop the bleeding kits, secured entrances, safety resource officers, silent alarms, and training for safety resource officers and staff. Even though we have the physical safety measures, Ms. Hoskins stresses the importance of preventative measures starting with students.
“We want to help be more preventative and lean into kids and people when we have them right here, to hopefully help support and maybe more early intervention before it gets to that space,” Ms. Hoskins said.
SHJS is training staff member in TCI, (Therapeutic Crisis Intervention). It’s a program that teaches de-escalation strategies and different kinds of crisis intervention providing SJHS with another tool to use.
“That is something that our district has committed to in having people train and it’s a big commitment to train and pass the test but they are slowly doing that, so eventually we will have enough people to do that.” Ms. Hoskins said
SJPS students are not unfamiliar with lockdown drills. However, the schools' nightlocks and stop the bleeding kits are relatively new. Recently, Mrs. Jamie Hall decided to get her classes certified in Stop the Bleeding training.
“The team from Corewell Health Lakeland is the one that comes in and does the formal hands-on training and gives them certificates. I enjoy being able to give my students real world practical knowledge that can even potentially help save another life.” Mrs. Hall said
While SJPS has the resources in case of an emergency, students still think there's more that can be done.
“More can always be done to ensure student safety, though. Although controversial, I believe a school-wide active shooter drill would provide an extra layer of comfort and security. Ensuring all classroom doors are locked and not propped open is something I think our faculty should implement.” Molly Becker, 12 said.
With seeing a rise in school shootings, these safety precautions and procedures are constantly being updated. SJHS implements new procedures and training as years go on. Altogether, SJHS currently has nightlocks, stop the bleed kits, staff training, safety resource officers, and secured entrances.
Photos by Cassidy Watson
