School Safety Revisited

In light of recent events, the discussion on school safety has reached a tipping point throughout the nation.  Action must be taken now, on campuses everywhere, to ensure students and faculty are safe.

School safety has been amplified (somewhat) since the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida; and seeing a shooting so close to home (Sante Fe High School, May 18, 2018) has struck a chord with many students and faculty. There have already been changes – with limited entry points into schools, the implementation of clear backpacks and school identification cards – but nothing will completely suffice. Feelings of fear are still persistent in schools across America. 

Over the summer of 2018, the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District’s Board of Directors created a new rule – requiring all junior high and high school students to wear clear backpacks throughout the 2018- 2019 school year. In addition, students on these campuses must also wear an identification badge throughout the school day. For some of us (here at Ranch), the ID thing is new. But other high schools in our district (like Cy Ridge) have been enforcing IDs for years.

Watch this video by Mustang Media, featuring our administration as they highlight more layers put in place around campus:

A majority of the feedback from students and parents alike has been (at least, received as) negative, due to concerns regarding privacy and inconvenience.

“I do not see the use in clear backpacks,” senior Zachary Salazar says. “If someone were to sneak something into school or cause an event to occur, I don’t see how clear backpacks will stop them.”

Our administration here at Ranch tells us that while there is no “turn-key” solution, we can put enough layers in place to ensure that our campus is safe and secure. Clear backpacks are just another layer, along with color-coded bathroom passes and wearing your school ID. If we put enough of these layers into place, our school will be safer. No question about it.

The precautions being taken to ensure all CFISD schools are safe from harm have seen mixed reactions from parents, faculty, and students. However, the effectiveness of theses measures will not be apparent until time passes. It is safe to say that everyone’s main objective is to secure our campuses, so that no one is in harm’s way during school hours or at school events.