Money for students’ safety better spent on preparation

In light of the recent proposal to implement a panic-button app for MSU students, it got me thinking about overall student safety and the ways we can better prepare ourselves for the worst. The third anniversary of the Toby’s and Hastings shootings is just around the corner.

The tragedy has left a scar on the city, and those affected by the horror are still suffering from it both physically and mentally.

The attacks on our innocent elementary schools cannot go unnoticed, and we, as college students, cannot forget about Virginia Tech. While it does show concern for student safety, the funds to create a panic-button app would be better spent on preventative-security measures in the case of a campus-wide attack.

The WFISD has implemented such security measures such as prepping students on what to do or where to go if a gunman breached security. Drills include protocol such as shutting off all the lights to each classroom and hiding in utility closets if a class is unable to lock its door.

While it is heartbreaking to find that our local 5-year-olds must have a greater understanding of such occurrences and be fortified from their first day of school that “the boogie monster” is in fact out there, the bottom line is—they are better prepared for an attack than we are.

A panic button will not help the campus at all in the case of a gunman attack. In fact, it could cause such mass-hysteria in that case, that both the campus and local police might not know where the immediate source of the attack is coming from. Mass-hysteria alone could quite easily put students at a higher risk for becoming victims, especially if we put ourselves in the line-of-fire while attempting to flee the scene.

It is absolutely terrifying to think about—but we need protocol to follow in such instances for our own and our families’ peace of mind.

I am sure that many schools, businesses and other targets of mass-violence in small-town America have all thought the same thing—“it can’t happen to us. ”We should not sit idly by until something does happen and pray that the police or the SWAT team rushes in to save us. As in many cases—it might be too late.

If it required more expense to hire a preventative-security team to visit each class on campus or to hold an assembly to better prepare students for the ultimate tragedy, then the money spent would be well-worth it.