“Could someone open fire on your school if they wanted to?” The adults in my life who haven’t attended high school in a post-columbine society frequently ask me this and I usually stutter before answering. “I really hope not,” I respond as my stomach drops and I consider the question on a deeper level. I think to myself: “Are we really safe at school?” This lingering question haunts me throughout the rest of the day until it blends in with the rest of my typical high school worries like “Have I studied enough for that test tomorrow?”, and “What are my friends doing this weekend?”, and I slowly forget about the fear I felt earlier in the day.
After finishing my homework, showering, and mentally preparing for the upcoming school day, I turn off my lights and shut off my phone. The question appears yet again within my conscience, and I decide not to worry because if I dive further down this rabbit hole, I won’t be able to fall asleep. I dismiss the fear by telling myself “Grosse Pointe is a safe community, those kinds of things don’t happen here,” and before I know it, I’m drifting into a more peaceful and drowsy state.
However, several weeks later, there was a potential threat at Brownell, my brother’s middle school. A student made a remark, which ended up being baseless in intent, but it still did a number on scaring my family. began to think to myself, “This kid really could bring a gun to school if he had access to one and legitimate intent.” This thought horrified me, and this time, I couldn’t shake it.
As I’ve considered these circumstances even further, I’ve realized that there isn’t a black-and-white solution to making students feel safe in school. On one hand, it seems simple: install metal detectors and flood the hallways with police officers. But then what, our schools mimic the feeling of a prison and the very fear we are trying to avoid is even more prevalent at school? I don’t have the answers, and I don’t expect anyone to know exactly what we should do. However, we cannot ignore the fact that school shootings are real, and they can and do happen, even in seemingly safe communities like Grosse Pointe.
Even though the threat of gun violence and importance of school safety is brought up repetitively at the Grosse Pointe School Board meetings, I believe we should treat this as a more urgent issue, not just in Grosse Pointe, but nationally. It’s hard to develop a flawless set of procedures that will keep us safe, and will also make us feel comfortable at school. The best way to implement policies that keep us safe at school is to listen to the students of Grosse Pointe. We are the people who will be affected by potential policy changes, so it is our voices that should be taken into account, first and foremost.
