Essay Example on 1999 Columbine High School Massacre: 12 Dead, Many Injured

Introduction

In the year 1999, April 20, two senior high school students dressed in black trench coats and additionally carrying weapons like handguns, knives, shotguns, also of having numerous propane cylinder missiles walked in “Columbine High School” and murdered one teacher as well as 12 students and left many other injured in the process. About eight years after in the year 2007, on April 16 a student at a polythetic and State campus in Virginia armed with a handgun shot and killed on the spot two students while they were in the dormitory and walked across the university to the classroom and killed 30 more students and five professors (Wang & Hutchins, 2010). On the same note approximately five years down the line, on the wake of December 14, a man twenty-year of age, shot at the glass platter window after encountering locked doors at an elementary school "Sandy Hook Elementary school." He was in a utility T-shirt that was filed with bullets as well as armed with two shotguns and a rifle killing six teachers and 20 children on the spot while injuring many others. Similarly, the four-day incident that happened in California and led to the loss of life and injury of the student; during this incident, over ten people were killed. In November year 2019, a 16-year-old male student at Saugus High school shot his classmate and later shot himself. Taking into account this kind of scenarios, the schools are no longer seen as the location where the primary goal is to learn about the mathematical principles and guidelines as well as the proper placement of colon and full stop; on the contrary teachers, students, as well as the parent alike, are always confronted with the punitive reality that something violent and hurtful could occur to them without any warning. No particular institution is deemed to be a safe learning environment when both the higher learning institution, high school, and the elementary were being shot at (Jeynes, 2018). It is, therefore, necessary that proactive measures are taken to prevent such violent incidences in the school arena. And the question, hence, remains, what can be done to reduce school shootings?

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In most cases, the media plays a vital role in the coverage of any situation that involves the; larger population, and among them is the school shootings—taking, for instance, the three-mass shot one of them being Sandy Hook shooting case. There was widespread attention on this particular case, with the New York times publishing roughly 30 articles about the situations in less than 30 days (Wike et al., 2009). The coverage of these cases in the newspapers as well as the airing of the developing stories about the cases. With each of the video clip about the incident and the photos on the front page of the newspaper sending children to schools become very difficult, and this results in the crippling of the education system.

There are, however, different ways that can be implemented to prevent the school shooting, such as policing of the learning institutions, installation of the metal detectors, the active shooter for the students as well as members of staff. However, it is essential to note that at times the prevention measures might fail. The metal detectors can fail, the locks to the school gates can be broken, and police officers cannot be placed at all places and at all times (Jeynes, 2018). However, the most effective way to curb the incidence is to train the students and the faculty on the proper ways to protect themselves once they happen to be in a live shooting or killing state.

Situational Approach to Preventing Shootings in Schools

Inspired by the national outcry as well as the moral panic surrounding the school shootings, there is a lot of appeals that something must be done urgently to prevent the students from various levels of academic institutions (Clarke, 1983). Most of the citizens in the united states call for the increased security and surveillance around the school surrounding to prevent the entry of weapons and firearms at the school: and these comprised of the installation of metal detectors, police policing of the school surroundings, and stricter access control measures (MacKenzie, 2000). Additionally, the climate at the schools should be called into question; this is because, in most cases, the media portrays the shooters as persons who have persistently endured the incidences of bullying and hence creating a hostile situation that provokes the individuals to lash out in such a violent manner. It is, therefore, essential to put in place preventative measures that are aimed at preventing bullying in the education system and hence making the school climate inclusive and diverse for all students. Additionally, pack of communication during( such as mass alert system warning people of the shooting ) and before the fire ( that is a failure on the part of the entire school body to notify the authorities of any suspicious individuals or behavior or any threat whatever that has been recognized) are the causes of the shooting to start with (Jonson, 2017). In response to this then mass notification systems should be put around the learning institutions, and they can be used in the event of any shootings. Additionally, and environment that promotes openness should be encouraged in the school environment where students, parents, and educators alike feel comfortable to report on any case that they deem suspicious to the school management to prevent shootings in the learning institutions further.

Armed Police Officers in Addition to School Resource Security

It is important to note that most of the retorts to the learning institutions shootings are primarily founded on the situational concept and therefore are highly predicted to "decrease such events in the future" (Christopher, 2013). However, it is similarly essential to note after further evaluation, and such measures show that they end up stirring fear and anxiety and have little to less impact on reducing the occurrence of crimes in the learning institution (Christopher, 2013).However, a standard measure that can be taken is the placement of police officers or, most preferably, a school resource officer who is, in most cases, armed. It is most logical that the implementation of school security would reduce such incidences. And this is because the presence of the security officer in most cases acts as a deterring presence, or if it is necessary, they can act fast if such events should arise. Additionally, research has shown that the “Department of Justice” has provided a grant of 745 million that is aimed at enabling the learning institutions in the United States to hire and train the SROs7, and this is an effective way for the schools to prevent future incidences of shootings (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2008). Additionally, in a survey conducted in their schools by McDevitt and Panniello (2005), it was established that scholars are more comfortable with the school resource officers and are most likely to report any suspicious or threats that they saw around the school to the SROs (Christopher, 2013). They mostly feel safer in schools.

However, for this to effectively work, then the school needs to encourage the SROS to foster a positive relationship with the student one that the student feels comfortable and trust them to tell them anything related to school security.

The Access Controls

Although in many cases, the SROs are the go-to in response to school shootings, in the real sense, it can take weeks, months, or even years for the school management to approve and therefore hire permanent full-time security personnel (Rouse, 2018). Therefore, the most immediate and most practical approach to reducing the number of shootings around the school is to tighten the access control to the institution's facilities. The access control approach to lowering the school shootings can comprise od having the visitors signing in the entry catalogue, screening for any weapons, locking of the gates, requesting for the identification cards for both students, educators, supporting staffs as well as visitors in addition to monitoring the individuals who enter and leave the school premises (Elsass et al., 2016).

Owing to its simplicity in the application process, access control is the standard preventative measure advised by the department of justice. For instance, a study conducted in the year 2000 of all the public high and middle schools reported that most of the schools use the access control measures to secure the school grounds, and this was done ion the response to the publicized increase in school crimes. However, 14 years later and "after the mass shootings" at Sandy Hook and Virginia Tech, there was an upsurge in the locking as well as using the access control measures in protecting the school grounds from such incidences in the future. Among the guidelines provided by the National clearinghouse for education facilities in the year 2008, was to ensure that the main building was locked at the point of entry, where entry by both the students, supportive staff and the visitors can be done only through the provision of identification card or through the supervision of a member of staff (National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities. n.d.). The main aim of the access control measure is to ensure that all the individuals that are allowed to the school premises have a legitimate purpose while restricting the individuals who have no functional use in the institutions (Rouse, 2018).

However, it is essential to note that for this protective measure against school shootings to be effective, the measures have to be conducted at all times, and the school management has to be vigilant about the safety of its students. Otherwise, these measures can be bypassed by individuals intending to conduct a school shootout. Take, for instance, the case at "Westside Middle school" both the 11 and the 13-year-old shooters too all procedures to avoid the measures put in place to ensure the security of the students, and they pulled the fire alarm run to the wooded areas (Jonson, 2017). They shot at their colleagues while they were leaving the school premises, killing a teacher and four students will injuring at least ten other students.

Installation of Metal Detectors

The primary purpose of installing metal detectors is to ensure that there is no weapon admittance, in particular firearms, into the learning institutions. However, it is essential to note that the installation of metal detectors has been traditionally limited to the city center or urban setting institutions. However, owing to the increase in a school shooting, this should also be made a priority in suburban schools (Hankin et al., 2011). However, it is essential to note that the prohibitive cost of metal detectors limits a lot of learning institutions from using them. The installation of metal detective, however, is the most effective way to prevent the entry of guns in the school premises. Additionally, it is also essential to note that there is a different range of metal detectors that are available to various schools which has a lower purchase cost. And through the use of the metal detectors, the school shootings will be highly reduced.

How to Prevent Oneself During A School Shooting

Policing, as well as the installation of metal detectors, is the most logical and easy way to prevent the entry of weapons and reduce school shootings. All these preventative measures are based on common sense and are deemed as safety measures to ensure a safe school environment. However, as mentioned early, all these security measures might fail and have indeed failed in the past (Jonson et al., 2017). The school management must un...