Despite it not being the nicest thing to talk about, the fact is that school shootings are becoming more and more common day by day in America. According to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), there have been 283 mass shootings so far this year, not even accounting for attempted and foiled mass shooting plots. Unfortunately, many students still tend not to think about the idea of a shooting happening at our school. Usually the excuse is that “it can’t possibly happen to us.”

Although it’s nice to have some optimism, these last few years have seemed to indicate that attempted and successful school shootings may happen anywhere.

Most recently, and locally, a serious incident resulted in a four-hour lockdown at Emmaus High School, less than a half hour down the road from Solehi.

On the morning of October 28, an unidentified student was able to sneak 50 rounds of live ammunition into the school before dropping the box on the ground and spilling the bullets all over the floor of the cafeteria. Whether the act was simply “stupid humor,” or if it had malicious intent, I believe that this event should spark Southern Lehigh students to start having conversations with their peers, staff, and the community at large about what we can do to prevent these kinds of things from happening at our school.

Although this didn’t happen within our school district, it happened close enough that both staff and students have already begun forming strong opinions on what we should do to help protect ourselves from violence at school.

“I always like to think that we are on top of things and that we address them in a proactive manner,” said school resource officer Brian McLaughlin. “But with our school’s security, you cannot be relaxed. If there’s anything that we, as a school, can do to improve safety on campus, it’s developing better communication skills.”

Many agree with Officer McLaughlin that improved communication can keep school safe for everyone.

“If you hear something or suspect something, don’t take it lightly,” social studies teacher Mr. Brian Dow said. “We’re all here to protect and look after each other, so if someone you know is in danger, mentally or physically, especially with bullying, be sure to get them the help that they need.”

Others believe that the administration could do more to make sure that our school remains safe.

“It’s fine for what it is, but it could be far better. For example, they should ask visitors more than just ‘what are you here for?’” sophomore Jillian Werbisky said. “I think that a stricter sign-in procedure could help unwanted intruders from getting inside the school.”

With student safety as our main priority, Officer McLaughlin believes there is no one better than students to help.

“Students should always be vigilant, able to tell what’s normal and abnormal and report suspicious activity to staff,” he said. “Improving communication between students and staff about possible danger could prevent things like what happened at Emmaus from occurring at our school.”

Overall, we should all care more about our school’s security. It’s the difference between a safe and secure school and potential disaster.