The high school shooting in Parkland, Florida has been on the minds of many. This terrible tragedy has given schools different perspectives on how they need to keep their campus safe. A school shooting is classified as a firearm being taken out inside a school or on the campus grounds. 160 school shootings have been identified across 38 states between 2013-2015. Nearly 53 percent of the identified school shootings took place at K-12 schools. Superintendent Matt Underwood and principal Stephanie Traweek are addressing the issue through current staff training and new facility renovations as planning for the new school bond takes place.

  Our school is working on a new facility that would improve the safety of the students and administrators while on the campus. The school would be placed all under one roof, so outside community members don’t have access to the whole building.

  “We want to do the best we can to make sure the school only has one access front.” Traweek said.

 Stoneland Douglas High School in Parkland Florida high school is being named the worst school shooting since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.  While school shootings seem to be rising, what will administrators do to protect the lives of their staff and students? Some people think total gun control is the right thing to do, but the best thing to do for anyone is to prepare everyone for an event such as this if it were to occur.

  “We do annual trainings with our teachers and students,” Traweek said. “The school does various types of drills, one being an active shooter on campus.”

  A mass shooting is defined as an attack on three or more victims. According to EveryTown there have been 17 school armed offenses in 2018 alone. These range from mass shootings like Parkland to accidental discharges of firearms after-hours in school parking lots. In our high school, communicating to teachers and students is very important so everyone knows how to prepare themselves for an school tragedy. Teachers are trained to call the office if someone on campus isn’t badged in.

  “What we want parents to know is that the safety of their kiddos comes first,” Traweek said. “We definitely want to let the kids know they are prepared and in good hands.”