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Co-written by Maggie Walsh
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On February 14, 2018, the nation awoke to the sound of gunshots. One student entered Stoneman Douglas High School, taking the lives of students and teachers with a semi-automatic rifle. This tragedy caused many schools, especially in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties, to increase their vigilance on school safety. But, is it working?
The regularity of mass school shootings have ingrained their way into the American educational system. "Code Red" active shooting drills have become normalized in the classroom. All schools in Miami-Dade County are required to run an active shooter drill at least once a month. These drills are meant to prepare teachers, staff and students in the case that a shooter is in the school. But honestly, these drills are ineffective if we do not implement them in times of crisis.
On October 17, 2019, a student managed to enter Miami Carol City Senior High School’s campus with a “Glock .42 with a magazine containing 10 rounds of ammunition.” (WSVN, 2019) Although the police and school administration was notified of the situation due to an anonymous tip, school board safety protocol was completely ignored. The principal neglected to implement "Code Red" or "Code Yellow" protocol, keeping classes running as usual. Teachers were also requested via email by the principal to search for the suspected student. But in the message, she left out that the student who was being searched for had a gun in his possession. Teachers were also told by the principal to remain silent on the day’s events in order to prevent negative publicity.
We ask the nation, what is the purpose of protocol when it's ignored in the name of “saving face”? Would this occur in an affluent school whose population does not fear being labeled as "ghetto" or "hood"? It’s hard to imagine a principal choosing public image over school safety, but principals and school administrators change their priorities when their jobs and reputations rely on school enrollment and public image.
We echo the sentiments of the March for Our Lives Rally from last year. Black and Brown students are exposed to gun violence at alarming rates in comparison to their white counterparts. When affluent schools are faced with gun violence issues, administrators act, respond, listen — and the media listens, too. But when these issues happen in our communities, the microphone is turned off. Silence allows situations like this to be ignored. All students deserve the same level of outrage and urgency when their lives are at risk, and when school politics is responsible for removing safety from schools, we must turn our microphones on and the volume up.
We ask you to value the lives and the safety of students and faculty members over the dollars you receive for each student enrolled. School districts, especially those in Broward and Miami-Dade that are still wiping the gunpowder off our memory, we plead that you hear your teachers and your students, as we are the ones in the classroom with the potential victims.
