The nation is closely watching the Parkland students who are leading the campaign for safer schools including sensible gun control regulations. Whatever one’s opinions may be on gun control, one should respect the fact that the students are marching for a noble cause. It is clear there is no single solution to making schools safer because safety involves security from both physical and psychological threats. It is time for us to come together irrespective of our political affiliations because we all desire safer schools for our children. There are several measures we could take as a society to minimize the physical and psychological threats that adversely impact the educational experiences of our children.

Our children have the most to gain from safer school environment. Fortunately, they can also play a valuable role in making schools safer. One strategy should be for schools to hire resource officers who are unarmed law enforcement representatives. These resource officers work hard to gain the trust of students that the students can talk to them about anything and their reports will be kept confidential. This will help resource officers learn about rumors or leakages of intentions in timely fashion and take measures to prevent potential tragedies (Gumbrecht).

Our schools can also be made safer by creating an environment that welcomes people of all backgrounds and personalities. First of all, schools send messages to the students in various forms to affirm their support for inclusion such as verbal announcements, mission statements, and events that celebrate diversity. Students should be made aware of the procedures that could be followed to report undesirable behaviors such as bullying. The school administrators and teachers should cultivate relationships of trust with the students so that the students do not hesitate to reach out to them. In addition to taking preventative measures, the schools should also provide support and services to victims of bullying (ADL). Many school mass-shooters were reportedly bullied in the school environment and did not get adequate support services. Their frustrations eventually drove them to extreme behaviors like mass shooting.

One of the most effective ways to make schools safer would be to invest in our teachers. We could invest in teachers who are willing to take assignments at struggling schools. We could also provide more support to our teachers to address mental health issues faced by the students. Similarly, the resources could be provided to teachers to aid students who are facing economic challenges or may be at-risk due to other factors (Hansen). Measures like these will not only help our teachers do their jobs better but also improve students’ engagement in the schools. If we can reduce the number of students who feel disconnected with the learning process, we may also be able to reduce the potential of mass shootings by alienated students.

Even if we may disagree on the issue of gun control, we should respect the desire of Parkland students to make schools safer. Fortunately, the students can play an important role in making schools safer. One way is to hire resource officers who build close relationships with the students so that they can identify potential signs of danger in a timely fashion. We should build environment of inclusion in our schools where everyone feels welcome irrespective of his/her background and personality. We should also invest more in our teachers so that they have the resources to work with at-risk students and are encouraged to take assignments at struggling schools. The safety of schools is a complex issue that has no one-size-fits-all solution. Hence, we need to implement several measures to ensure our students feel safer in a school environment.