The increase in school shootings on high school campuses across the nation has affected the way some students feel regarding their safety.
Last year there were 346 school shootings in the United States which is the most on record in 1 year. There have been more than 383,000 students who have experienced school shootings since Columbine in 1999.
Freshman at Placer High School Preslie May stated, “I think we should always be prepared for the things that no one would expect.”
Although students feel safe most of the time at Placer, recent gun violence has caused some students to feel nervous.
Jamillah Padpad, a freshman at Placer High School said “I don’t want to be next… I see stories on the news about school shootings and it scares me.”
In this current day and age, some schools have to practice what to do if there is a shooter on campus starting as young as 1st grade. Many schools including Placer have systems in place in case of emergency, prepare the students for these disasters, and also bring awareness to the growing rate of school violence.
Although some students feel anxious, others feel safe on Placer High School’s campus.
“I did feel safe on campus but then with all the threats going around and increases in school violence it made me question how safe school really is,” May states.
Sam Nishimi, a sophomore at Placer High School shares, “I feel very safe on campus, there are often police and many campus monitors around campus so if anything happens they are sure to be there quickly. Also, the police department is very close so many cops can get here quickly.”
To ensure school safety Auburn police officers are seen every day on Placer’s campus. Josie Jackson, a freshman at Placer High School feels that students are safe on campus because of the constant security of police officers.
Jackson stated, “It [open campus] makes me nervous that anyone could walk on campus, but I’m happy that we have police officers.”
Placer’s open campus is many students’ favorite part of attending Placer on the other side, many students are also nervous that Placer’s open campus could allow anyone to come on campus and walk around.
“It’s a more common thing that we hear about a shooter on campus,” Jackson shares.
In fact, during the year 2022 around 43,000 students were exposed to gunfire at school.
These increases in school violence leave a major question for many students, teachers, and parents; what to do in case of a school shooting? Well, If there is an active threat on campus and students cannot escape campus to a safer destination then, try to barricade the doors with desks, chairs, and larger furniture items. Students must find a hidden spot to wait quietly until the police can escort them out.