Our children are the most valuable thing in our lives. More importantly, they are our future.
Watching out after them, however, is a full-time job. As they get older and go to school, it can be something of a relief. But that doesn’t mean we stop worrying about them, especially with all the different news going on.
Violence at school is a real problem and now we have pandemics to worry about as well. School security is important for keeping our kids safe. Read ahead to learn more about protecting students from different kinds of harm.
Biggest Threats to School Security
Here are some of the most important threats we are facing:
Bullying
Bullying and ‘hazing’ take many forms. Sometimes, it consists of psychological abuse of classmates over the internet.
Other times, it takes the place of ‘initiation rites’ and other baloney and consists of acts of physical violence and even sexual abuse. Far too often it happens right under the noses of teachers and coaches.
This should have been stomped out decades ago but it continues to linger and social media has given bullies yet another medium to harm. A modern school security system should take this into consideration.
Gang Violence
It seems unthinkable but many gangs and organized crime rackets actively recruit teenagers and children. Gang fights are a common occurrence in some high schools.
There can be unbelievable pressure for kids to join local gangs. Once involved, they may be forced to sell drugs, attack someone, or commit other acts of violence.
Preventing school shootings starts with breaking up violent gangs.
Hard Drugs
Kids are often exposed and/or offered drugs at some point in high school. We’re not talking about beers and reefers anymore.
In some cases, harder drugs, such as opioids, cocaine, and prescription pills are easier for young people to acquire than alcohol.
The DARE impression they gave us that hooded strangers are offering free joints to kids is a little outdated. However, the opioid crisis is real and is only going to be solved through education.
Terrorism
When we think of maintaining a safe school, one would never imagine that terrorism would come into the conversation.
Sadly, this is the world we live in. In the United States, there is an unreasonably high number of mass shootings. Sometimes, these occur in schools.
How To Keep Our Kids Safe
In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have to worry about keeping our kids safe from more than anything but the occasional bully with behavioral issues. However, we have to be ready for anything.
Increased security presence, metal detectors in schools, the cooperation of teachers, and rapid-response protocols are a must. Plus, we need to consider monitoring social media and chatrooms for signs of bullying.
Now, more than ever, we need to be strengthening the security system for schools across the nation.
Focusing on Education
Kids go to school to learn. They also go to make friends, socialize, play sports, have fun, and become adults.
None of this can happen if their safety is ever in question. It’s time to start taking school security seriously.
