School Safety Business

It is that time of the year again, back to school. I see one big change this year. Usually, the local TV stations are doing feel-good reports about little ones heading off to kindergarten or the first grade. The anticipation, excitement, and sometimes trauma for the kids and the parents. Maybe a story about a brand new school. Some high school football stories are usually sprinkled in. They encourage folks to send their first-day photos to the TV website or social media accounts. 

Well, apparently those happy celebrations are so 2017. This year almost all I'm seeing and reading about is school safety. What new safety equipment and procedures has your school district put in place? How much safety stuff has been purchased and at what cost? What training have the teachers and staff received? 

There have been stories about school safety seminars and conventions. The school safety business has become a $2.5 billion industry almost overnight. Metal detectors, locks, alarms, bulletproof desks, whiteboards, glass, and a hundred other items. There are also notification apps and equipment. Of course, there is no shortage of "experts" who will be happy to come to your school to provide a safety assessment and/or conduct training sessions. 

The "experts" that I've seen interviewed are deadly serious and make it sound as if every school will be invaded by a crazed gunman within the next few days. But, if the school district follows their advice and purchases their prevention equipment, all will be safe.

I know the local news outlets love a sensational story that they can hype. I wonder what effect all this dire and sensational reporting about school safety will have on the kids and parents. 

Wednesday, 8/15/18, was the first day of the school year at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. It is the site of last year's horrific school shooting where 17 students and staff were killed. That dominated the news. There were stories about the trauma the survivors have endured, the new security measures, the increase in armed security personnel, and ongoing counseling. More stuff to scare the kids.

Still, not one photo of little kids on the first day of classes. 

I know, news is news and it is mostly about bad stuff. I understand that the return of Stoneman Douglas students is newsworthy. A few stories about new safety procedures and measures are warranted. Students and parents need to know what backpacks are acceptable, what any new dropoff and pickup procedures have been implemented, that student IDs are required to be displayed at all times, etc. What we don't need are the furrowed brows and dire tones of the reporters, anchors, school officials, and security personnel. It is up to adults to protect our children, not scare the hell out of them. 

I wonder, with all the emphasis on school safety, the active shooter drills, the classes and seminars on the dangers, and the graphic news stories, what will be the results? Will kids be afraid to go to school, will they be nervous and scared all day every day, will grades suffer, will we have a generation of kids with PTSD? 

As usual, we go overboard after a tragedy. We did it after 9-11 and now we are doing it because of school shootings. As usual, the con artists come out of the woodwork to take advantage. The government officials cave to public pressure and pass laws and spend money on perceived solutions. Many of these so-called solutions have no history of actually working. There are no federal guidelines for what constitutes school safety. None of the new products like locks, cameras, bulletproof items, fencing or building design have any kind of certification. Whoever has the best salesmen and marketing gets the contract. 

Let's tap the breaks, quit scaring the students, staff, and parents. Do some real studies about how schools work and how to stop invaders or malicious students. 

Summer is over. Let's have a fun, productive and safe 2018-2019 school year. 

wjh