Middle, high schools’ security must be priority

William R. Woodall, Waldorf, Md.
I’m concerned with the violence in our schools and the future of our children. Why this is happening is being discussed in many forums in the news and academia with few suggested solutions. Since some parents seem to have a hard time communicating with their children and the advent of the social media, we need to depend on students to help in identifying those few students who most likely would harm others.
Teenagers going through puberty seem to be the prime perpetrators of most of the violence due to a variety of reasons, e.g. parents divorcing, mental disorders, bullying, rejection from friends/girlfriends, and possibly failing grades. We need these students to participate in their own safety and be part of the solution.
I want to suggest solutions that could help protect students and help them protect themselves and other classmates.
Continue to install cameras in doors and hallways and by fire alarms. Install electric automatic door locks on each classroom door controlled at the teacher’s desk, in addition to a panic alarm button tied to the school’s armed security personnel. All exits should be alarmed and only be opened from the inside in case of emergencies.
Teachers can assign students to be class monitors that are trained in discussing problems with classmates. Any unusual concerns should be reported to the school administrator.
Congress has allocated over $1 billion for school security. In a letter to the U.S. Speaker of the House, I recommended that $1 billion be divided among the states to update their classrooms with new security measures.
Since schools are in recess, West Virginia’s congressional delegation should determine what upgrades are necessary for West Virginia schools.
Priority should be given to middle and high schools since perpetrators are mostly teenage boys. All new schools under construction should be required to provide security accordingly.