In the past two years, K-Park has seen a host of changes. First, Humble ISD started by implementing a clear bag policy at Turner Stadium. Now, this didn’t drastically affect us that much: we either didn’t bring a bag or changed our outfit to make it match with said bag. Nobody was truly angry – at most they were mildly displeased that they couldn’t bring their really cool limited edition Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle backpack.
The second big policy, the implementation of weapon detectors in entrances that occured MONTH of last year was when the controversy really started. People grumbled and wondered aloud at the necessity of such a practice…myself included. Why was it necessary? K-Park didn’t have a problem with weapon detectors.
Recently, the K-Park school board unanimously approved a new safety measure: one that requires teachers to lock the doors of their classrooms during the school day.
My first reaction, as was many of my classmates, was one of annoyance and eye rolling. It seemed like a tedious step – and I felt it firsthand when returning from the bathroom and having to wait to get in.
As my eyeballs came back down from their roll – a sudden thought struck me out of my irritation.
Why was this new measure automatically a negative to me and the majority of the students at K-Park?
School shootings have increased in numbers nationwide. Since the start of 2025 to September 23, there have been 53 school shootings. Twenty six of them were at K-12 grounds. Texas in particular is second only to California in the number of shootings. Gun violence in the US kills more teenagers than car crashes or cancer.
Nobody would complain about trying to stop car crashes or cancer. Why is it different with school shootings?
Potential shootings are a reality students have to live with every day they enter the doors of a school. And that means as students, our attitude about these things need to change. Instead of decrying them for the inconvenience, we should be grateful for them. Every measure makes it harder for a shooter to carry out his promise.
In fact, I hope with my entire soul that the entities that make these decisions keep on making schools safer. I don’t even care if students have to go through a retinal scan every day. I don’t care if entering the school starts looking like a TSA line at the airport. If that’s what’s necessary, than that is what needs to be done. A school should have the same level of security that a vault full of treasures has. Because life is the most valuable currency we as humans possess on this earth, and it’s time we started protecting it.
