Introduction
Within quite a short period, a number of cruel massacres have come to define the school shootings in the United States. 13 dead at Columbine, 26 dead at Sandy Hook, and 17 dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas, they took the lives of many victims of various age, including students, teachers, and even children. Therefore, school safety strategies should be improved urgently to prevent gun violence and provide a safe environment for a well-educated nation, which is the main objective of this proposal. This correlates to various legislative acts, school policies, and preventive measures to address the vital issue of school violence that should be examined thoroughly for successful improvement results.
Main body
The overall school safety strategies should be focused primarily on security policies. According to Crawford and Burns, the following improvements should be implicated, such as law enforcement security measures, school security measures, and school characteristics studied in terms of the relationship with violence (633). With that said, one of the most accepted improvements requires “increasing the number of guardians in the form of law enforcement and security”, as well as providing them with weaponry (Crawford and Burns 642).
The schools where the security possessed firearms reported lower levels of gun possession. Furthermore, the additional methods to this improvement might include teachers’ training by hired security personnel, a plan for shooting incidents, and the security cameras implementation, connected with increased reports of school violence (Crawford and Burns 645).
In general, the presence of security had a positive correlation with the decreased measures of violence. Another yet valuable research is presented by Chrusciel et al., who suggest the enforcement of the school resource officers (SROs) (26). The results have proved that SROs are “the most effective method to maintain school safety” that also correlates to law enforcement and security intervention (Chrusciel et al. 33).
The alternative methods include clear safety plans and procedures, as well as “the collaboration between SROs, school faculty/staff, and the community” (Chrusciel et al. 33). The collaboration may not be feasible because of the difficulties concerning personnel and students’ coherence in terms of the school environment due to age-related disagreements and viewpoints. It is also a complex issue to unify them all together for the common concern about school violence based on the overall attitude towards one’s job or study routine, as well as the relationships between teachers and students, and particularly between the students.
Other strategies concerning physical security measures involve locked doors or restricted access, metal detectors, and cameras. Besides, enhanced education and gun violence awareness for teachers, students, and their parents, prevention training, or increased support by mental health services are as well crucial for addressing school violence. However, these alternatives might not be efficient, as they refer to the individual perception of this issue, and the results might be controversial.
Conclusion
To conclude, raising school violence awareness is of the utmost importance amongst the educational environment and the government. As it leaves a significant mark on society, this issue poses concerns on the national level. Considering the intense focus of the media on school shootings in the USA, this issue has brought school administrators, parents, and politicians, together to take action to improve school safety.
Therefore, this proposal is feasible as it suggests law enforcement and security improvement and can be implemented through the increased number of guardians, firearms provision, and school resource officers to maintain school safety. The very presence of security at school facilities might create the subconscious feeling of a safe environment for students and teachers. By focusing on these strategies and alternatives methods, it is possible to engage both teachers and students, as well as their parents, to be highly informed and prepared for school violence prevention.
Works Cited
Chrusciel, Margaret M. et al. “Law Enforcement Executive and Principal Perspectives on School Safety Measures”. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 38, no. 1, 2015, pp. 24-39.
Crawford, Charles, and Ronald Burns. “Preventing School Violence: Assessing Armed Guardians, School Policy, and Context”. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 38, no. 4, 2015, pp. 631-647.