School Security and Why We Should Be Angry
We need to put more emphasis on our kids school security because in this country I have witnessed great debates about the implementation of the Common Core Curriculum and changing the academic school year to extend it throughout the summer. I have seen parents in uproar because their child did not receive the grade they believe he or she was entitled to. I have seen parents in uproar because they want their child to be exempt from state testing because the demands on their child are too taxing. I have seen parents in uproar because they want their child to be treated like everyone else. I have seen parents in uproar because their child was not treated differently or to their liking. I have seen parents ridicule teachers for not working hard enough and for having the audacity to have the summer off. I have seen school districts change the demands placed on children because the Attorney General said so, without ever stepping foot into a school or school district. I have seen the aftermath of the No Child Left Behind Act; where students with below average literacy skills are moved upward in grade levels because society says we as a nation have failed in our education. I have witnessed the feud between teacher accountability versus the role of parents in the home.
I write this not to take a side, but to point out the fact that in our country we tend to get caught up in what’s popular. I write this because while I do believe our education system is not perfect, and that our educators and youth should be held to exceptional academic standards, it is alarming to me that parents aren’t in uproar with the majority of school security. Our children are being murdered. Our teachers are being murdered. We are failing our children when we fail to become assertive in the business of protecting them from violent attackers and intruders. One of our concerns should be if the people or person in charge of our kids school security is really qualified with todays types of attacks?
As a nation we typically send our children to school for approximately 180 days a year. We entrust a significant portion of our children’s lives inside of an academic institution. In so many ways our schools parent and house our children and yet we collectively fail to provide our schools appropriate and necessary protection. As parents and as a culture we need to start protecting our schools as we would our homes. Violent attackers should not be able to shoot down our doors in the blink of an eye. Violent attackers should not be able to gain entry into a building within seconds of an attempt. In this country our children are guaranteed a free education. I say they are entitled to a safe education as well.
Parents Pushing For Better School Security
What good is a test score or teacher accountability if our children are not safe? How can we tell our youth that education is the key to success, yet in the same token we don’t invest in their physical livelihood? It is up to the academic institution to prepare for attacks. Essentially this means that it is up to parents to demand this protection. As parents many of us grimace and complain about whether or not our children fit in, get stellar grades or get the starting position on a team, but no one wants to raise a stink about our kids being safe in a school before something life altering and deadly happens. Parents need to be up in arms and on the frontline when it comes to defending the lives of our youth. When it comes to safety in our schools, no student should be left behind.
