Today, a parent’s worst nightmare is losing a child. However, it is an unimaginable event when there are some parents who have to deal with the thought of their child going to school, in a supposedly “safe environment” for kids to learn and grow, then not being able to come back home to have one last plate at the family dinner table or one last memory of  being with their loved ones.

We come together in unity, to speak on a significant topic. Now, this topic is very controversy as some may say, but I otherwise. In my opinion, I think schools across the U.S should improve certain mandates on gun violence against schools.

Gun violence in schools has become a common occurrence. Parents hearing it broadcasted upon the news and students practicing the drills fearing one day there will be a time where it isn’t a drill has become “normal.’ No parent should ever feel used to hearing about innocent lives being taken, and no students should fear losing their lives in a place where knowledge continues to grow.

On Nov. 8, 2022, a shooting in a high school took place leaving one student killed in Seattle. Another shooting took place on May 24, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas. But these are not the only incidents; other well known incidents like Sandy Hook, Parkland, Columbine High School, Stoneman Douglas High School and Virginia Tech continuously make headlines.

If school security rules are improved, they would allow students and parents to feel more comfortable with the thought of going to school.

There has been little beneficial research to come out of school shootings, which is why studying these incidents is not as important as making sure that every school already has safety precautions in place.

As part of the Delaware Valley community, we not only carry each other on our backs, but we know how to put our education and our student’s safety first. We provide useful and safe rules to use during those potentially scary, violent times.

“…[W]e have professional development programming for our staff to educate them on warning signs of gun violence,” said principal Michael Kays. “Our counseling staff also has training in working with students who may exhibit the potential warning signs.”

Throughout Del Val, we not only have security cameras in place around all halls of the schools, but we also have security sitting out in front of our school and roaming the halls of our school.

“As you know, we complete multiple safety and security drills each month in order to prepare students and staff,” said Kays.

When it comes to the students’ feelings of safety, opinions were varied.

“Honestly, kinda yes and no. A lot of the kids have a lot of access to guns due to hunting, and you never know what can happen,” said senior Teagan Huhn.

“I do feel safe here at Del Val only because I know the hall monitors and the security actually does their jobs and are always on the lookout,” said junior Nicole Polo.

Overall, all schools should review and enforce these sorts of policies in order to make students feel safe and in order to have an effective, accurate plan. Delaware Valley does just that.

“I believe that Del Val has appropriate gun violence protocols, but I would never use the term satisfied to describe security matters,” said Kays. “While there are certain standards that all schools must meet to prevent gun violence, the protocols need to meet the unique needs of every school.”