Ilana Umanskiy

The Editorial Board argues that more preliminary support systems such as education should be prioritized over reaction systems such as run, hide, fight, in cases of violence in school.

At around 6:40 a.m. on Sept. 13, Lab families received a campus lockdown alert monitoring an external threat. Moments later a second message was sent to notify recipients that it was a false activation. These alerts — like the community experienced last year — brought concern about what to do in an actual emergency, especially just days after the Sept. 4 shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia.

Security scares, including false alarms, reveal how the Lab community would react to a real threat, and they show that Lab’s preventative measures may not be enough to ensure school safety. In addition to schoolwide security alerts, Lab should focus on educating students about what they should do as individuals to help ensure school safety as well as personal safety. 

First, students should be educated about what to do if they see someone who might be experiencing difficulties. It is easy to ignore and avoid classmates who may be struggling, and often it is hard to pick up on the signs. If students knew more about what mental struggles could look like, then they might be able to identify them in their peers. This knowledge could help prevent harm. 

Support systems within the school should be more widely available and advertised on a much larger scale to ensure each and every student knows they are supported. For example, students should have easy access to a counselor or a specific adult to confide in if they are experiencing mental struggles or to anonymously report their observations of peers in distress, and this access should be open at all hours of the day. While hotlines are available to the public, students may feel nervous or uncomfortable revealing their emotions outside of their community.

Additionally, it is important that parents and families have access to some of these resources. If there is conflict within a family, student mental health can be ignored, and sometimes it can be hard for a parent to help their student. If parents and relatives have access to tools to notify school counselors of any troubles their student may be experiencing, these troubles are less likely to be ignored.

These are all measures that could be taken prior to any danger that may occur within the student body. However, if it reached a point where the school was locked down and everyone was told to “run, hide or fight,” students would still lack education on other aspects of the situation. For example, if a student came across a gun, what should they do with it and who should they tell? Should they help others in danger, or only themselves? Should they call 911? Should they call their parents and family first? 

These are all questions that could be answered with more student education about the steps to take during a dangerous situation. Making small adjustments like these could save a life. While these conversations are tough, they are essential to keeping the Lab community safe in today’s society.