It is no question that over the years, safety in our schools has dramatically decreased. Many United States citizens feel that abandoning our second amendment rights is not something that is on the table, but that does not mean that they do not care about the lives of our children, in fact I would suggest that the safety of our children and our future generations is of utmost importance ESPECIALLY to those on the right who favor traditional values and a nuclear family. Tightening restrictions on gun ownership has long been seen as the only option for improving safety in our schools. There are more options.
The TSA was established only 10 weeks after the destruction of the September 11th attacks. I believe that we as a nation should create a new security agency focused solely on the protection of our children. These agents would be trained professionals ready to eliminate any threat to our precious youth, whether it be psychotic grown adults or unfortunately, other students. These agents should be tasked with protecting the safety and lives of the students, not set to complete the tasks of general school policy, for example enforcing tardiness/dress code policies, potentially stretching them thin and watering down the severity of their positions. Inappropriate relationships and friendliness with parents, staff, and students should also be strictly prohibited – not in the sense of making anyone feel uncomfortable in a place of education or to just be schoolyard bullies, but rather to prevent possible situations of developing relationships with students that could blur the truth in the line of duty and cause them not to act if someone they’ve befriended is a perpetrator in a violent act against the school, as well as to prevent scenarios where staff/students/parents can begin to question whether any of the agents are having inappropriate relationships with students that are likely minors. It should be strictly forbidden.
This would cost quite a bit of money, there are nearly 100,000 public schools in the USA, and different schools in different areas would require different levels of security. For example a school in a rural area with a graduating class of 60 students may only need 1 full time guard maximum, maybe 2 in the event of illness to ensure that there is always a guard available, whereas a county in a densely populated area may need a larger team. Team sizes could also be impacted by crime activity in the area, drug activity, etc. These agents should be WELL TRAINED, and a serious and cherished part of our community and as such should be WELL PAID for the serious nature of their careers.
While this will cost tens of billions annually, I think that protecting our youth is one of the most important tasks we have to accomplish as children in America have been let down (in numerous ways). On-site agents would cut response time of police department significantly, reduce and possibly completely prevent casualties (could have metal detectors at entrances to schools, once again not to enforce policies, agents should be searching for WEAPONS and HARD DRUGS not confiscating a child’s bag of snacks because they are trying to sell them to other students and it being against policy). It would also prevent disgraceful situations where police force arriving at the scene are too cowardly or overweight to apprehend or eliminate the target. On the other hand, agents should be well trained enough to not shoot a child should they sneak an airsoft gun onto grounds (hopefully this would not happen, but it would certainly be an unfortunate situation if a child were to die because of their stupid mistake that would not have harmed anyone, but children do in fact make stupid mistakes).
I also believe that crimes against children on school grounds should be elevated to the highest possible sentence determined by those in power, in my belief an adult going into a school and shooting children should immediately receive the death penalty, students should receive heavy sentences and psychiatric evaluations as well. Any parent, student, or faculty-member that is investigated and found to be guilty of instigating a child to commit such a horrific act should be tried as though they committed the act themselves, possibly receiving life in prison.
While this would add a substantial amount to the national budget, I think these funds could be found from trimming other completely unnecessary spots where money is being spent on the federal level. I also am a supporter of spending on America FIRST, and rather than dumping billions and billions on foreign parasites to fund their wars and religious feuds that have lasted millennia, we could put that money instead into protecting our future generations.