Imagine walking into school thinking you are safe when  you suddenly see flashing white lights.

You are thinking it’s a regular drill… but teachers have this look that you never see during a  drill.  They are pale, and trying not to show too much emotion, as if they don’t want students to panic.

Staff start telling students to go into classrooms, and to hurry.  You are still wondering what is happening. This time it is different.  Staff are running, telling you and the students around you to hurry up…

And now reality hits you all of a sudden.  You get this gut feeling something is really going on, and you start thinking What do I do? Do I text my parents?  Do I ask what’s going on?  Your hands start to get sweaty.  You get nervous. Everything is going through your mind.  And then you hear that one announcement you never thought you would have to hear ….

There is a school shooter on campus.

Now imagine if Bell High School had more security and random searches and as well wand metal detectors. What do you think the chances of a school shooter or something happening on campus happening would be then? 

Students should feel safe when walking into Bell High School.  Students should feel safe even when they’re walking in crowded hallways.  Students should feel safe even when the front doors are wide open.  Students should feel safe walking alone. 

Here are three things that could help students feel safe when coming to school:

One possible way to make the school safer would be to install metal detectors at the entrance.

“Metal detectors are used when people enter a large arena, so if there is a large population of students at a school they could serve a similar purpose,” Assistant Principal Ms. Kontolefas said. 

Most students interviewed stated they don’t feel safe on campus, “because you don’t know if students can bring a weapon,” senior Alexa Saustegui  said. 

The library has theft security.  Some students realize Bell seems to care more about the school library books than for their safety. “They’re more worried about the books than the students,” junior Evelyn Gonzalez Godinez said.

Another way of making students feel safe would be to bring back random searches, because it would show that staff care about student safety.  

Bell High School used to have random searches but stopped several years ago.  Now they only do searches if they have a specific cause. “Nobody does random searches, and because the front doors of the school are always open, you don’t know who can walk in, ” Alexa added. 

Adding security would also be a benefit to this school.  We need security who take their jobs seriously and show they care about the students.

“I think adding security would definitely help increase safety on campus because we would have more staff to support, since we have a large campus,” Kontolefas said.  “And I think that students need to know our campus security so that they are aware of their positive intentions.”

Having students and security get along is a good thing too, because students need to know that the security staff here at Bell are here to protect them and make them feel safe, as well as showing positive intentions.

 “It gives off the idea that okay more people are out there watching what’s going on,”  PSA Counselor Marissa Franco said.  “But it also gives off the idea of, okay, now there’s more people that students can talk to in case something does happen or I do hear something.”   

Bell also needs to bring back random searches and add wand metal detectors.

Bell needs to show that they care about students.  If Bell High and the district cared about student well-being, then we should have all the resources we need to stay safe. Then students would walk into school without doubting their safety on campus.