Central High School students are divided on whether they feel safe on campus, with many expressing concerns over recent school shootings and school security measures.
Junior Angel Aguirre feels that school is no more dangerous than being out in public. “I feel just as safe being out in the streets as I do being in school…you got all sorts of people roaming around,” Aguirre said. “You encounter a mix of personalities – some are friendly, while others can be unpredictable.”
Others express concerns about their safety. Junior Lilianna Guzman said she doesn’t feel safe while on school grounds. “No, I don’t feel safe. There have been a lot of shootings happening near the school and them being close by, what’s going to stop them from happening inside school?” Guzman said.
Junior Teagan Dunn agrees, as most of the time she does feel safe, but it’s difficult when there are shootings happening around Central.
These students feel that, with the amount of administrators, security guards and police officers in the building, it is not adequate to respond quickly to violent behavior. They also believe that security guards shouldn’t be buddies with students. Security staff declined to comment.
“I understand the purpose of all these drills, but I feel like even if we were in a serious situation, [expletive] would happen,” Dunn said.
Students mentioned that they hold these opinions because of what has occurred at other Omaha Public Schools, such as Northwest High School and South High School.
According to Gun Violence Archive, Everytown, and Education Week, as of Oct. 15 of this year, 58 school shootings have occurred in the United States.
Students were asked if they believed there was any way to prevent school shootings and/or dangers to their learning environments. “I’m not really sure, I feel like if there were ways, they would have happened by now,” Guzman said. “Prepare for them…we haven’t really done anything to prepare for them…I know we do the lock downs and all, but that’s not good enough,” Dunn said.
“I believe education on conflict resolution and mental health awareness might further help create a safer environment,” Aguirre said.
