1. What do you think about teachers having guns in schools?
I am against teachers having guns in school because I think that they are unsafe to have on school property. Students could get a hold of the weapon or teachers could react negatively in a volatile situation.
2. Have you had any violent student interactions?
Yes! Several years ago, I had a student who brought a gun to school. The SRO and the principal came into my room to remove the weapon and the gun. The situation scared a lot of people but I didnt feel like I was in any harm. I have also had a desk thrown at me and many threats made against me over the years.
3. How do you think we should keep schools safe?
Schools should work together to help encourage positive relationships between teachers, parents and students. Schools should also have great communication skills and have caring teachers and support staff that work hard to make sure incidents dont happen.
4. How do you think we should help traumatized students?
I think the school systems in general could offer more counseling for all students but especially students who have mental health issues. I also think that additional training is badly needed for all teachers. Sometimes if teachers could see or know the warning signs of a student who is having mental health issues then we could stop the situation before it occurred.
5. How do you go about threat assessment at your school?
We contact our social worker and our administrators who immediately becomes involved with the situation and they normally conduct the threat assessment tests. After the assessment has occurred, the entire team including all of the students teachers and parents meet to have a follow up meeting.
6. What does your school do to prevent violence?
We try to stop the violence before it occurs. We work on building relationships so that students feel comfortable with confiding in teachers or principals. Our school also does a great job at connecting students who need additional help to outside services for more intensive help!
7. Do you think schools should have metal detectors? Why?
No, I do not think there should be metal detectors in every school. I think kids should come to school to be educated in a positive environment. Metal detectors give the appearance of a negative situation. As a parent, I would not want my child to attend a school that has to have a metal detector. I know there are situations or occurrences where these types of safety protocols are needed but I think they should be for short term use only.
8. Does your school have procedures for unsafe situations? what?
Yes, we practice drills for lockdowns, fire drills and for dangerous weather situations such as tornados. A couple years ago my school participated in a off campus evacuation where the entire school was evacuated to a safe space. This experience was designed to help students, parents, teachers, medical personnel as well as the police go through the process of an actual evacuation so that everyone could learn from the mistakes that were made so that in an actual emergency, we would be better equipped to handle these types of situations.