Vhs Security and Protection

Mark Anthony Feliciano

AP English 11

Brescia, Period 5

December 12, 2011

Campus Security and Safety

Imagine yourself attending school, on a normal day. Then, out of nowhere you hear a gunshot, leading to the school's alarm going off. The intercom then announces, "Teachers and staff, we are under immediate lock down. Please go through all security protocols." Like any other normal person, anyone under this situation would be uneasy. As a student of Valley High School, it is obvious many students believe our campus security and safety is not sufficient enough for the secureness of the campus itself and all who consists within it. Even though, with reasonable arguments such as budget reduction, there are many ways of still successfully protecting our school. Campus security and safety is an important feature of education. The Department of Education is committed to assisting schools in providing students nationwide a safe environment in which to learn and to keep students, parents and employees well informed about campus security. Campus security should be taken seriously and not lightly. The protection of young minds is one the top priorities of every institution next to proper education.

First off, the structure of Valley High School's campus is very open. Every student and staff member knows that the campus does not have proper fencing that surrounds the perimeter. There are multiple ways that a person is able exit/enter school grounds. For instance, there are a few behind the S-wing, the T-wing, and the small gym which all lead to the exits behind the campus. There are also the main obvious openings, which are the outer gates of the campus. In this case, students can simply go under the gate and walk away to where they want. Obviously, this factor can lead to multiple problematic situations. "Valley is a large school. The issue of an open campus makes it harder to maintain security and so making things complicated and difficult. I would highly agree on adding sufficient fencing, like in MTHS. However, that will not likely to occur now but probably in a far later time." said Don Gordon, an administrator of VHS. For instance, beginning with the issue of students easily being able to leave and enter school grounds without any approval what so ever will only motivate them to do what they desire: to leave more frequently and to return if they wanted to. Unfortunately, until now this is still happening every day on campus. Thus, because of this, the value of education to students will decrease which will lead them to be unable to graduate and be successful in life. In most cases, this would be a parent's worse thought for their children's future.

Even though the issue of students entering