Kayla Kinsey
Opinion Editor
Gun violence is a real threat that is becoming more frequent in the United States. As a result, the Costa administration and district updated MBUSD’s lockdown protocol. The district needs to take more action to prevent gun violence on campus, rather than just train students for a hypothetical situation.
On Sept. 29, Costa’s armed intruder student training was established. Interim Vice Principal Dr. Carolyn Seaton and School Resource Officer Donovan Torres spoke in a 13-minute video explaining the new additions to the lockdown protocol. The video described the run, hide, defend protocol, 911 communication, law enforcement response, and drill information but did not demonstrate how to prevent any of these situations from occuring in the first place.
According to everytownsupportfund.org, Mike Bloomberg is the founder of Everytown for Gun Safety, which is based in New York, New York. This support fund tracks incidents of gunfire on school campuses to gain a better understanding of gun violence. Over several years of tracking, their data revealed that armed intruder situations on school grounds mirror the problems of gun violence in the U.S., which proves that this is a nation-wide issue that needs to be addressed. The video did not educate students on the complexities of what the main issues are of school shootings, despite its implementation of effective procedures.
Per a study conducted at Alfred University, only about half of all students would tell an adult if they heard another student mention shooting someone on campus. This mindset calls for a serious change in perspective amongst U.S. citizens. Students should receive education on how to cope with mental illness, as it is a leading factor amongst many perpetrators of gun violences according to nea.org. Resources such as Costa’s Student Union, a safe space where students have access to mental health resources, need to be promoted in order to improve the mental health of students on campus.
Costa science teacher Trevor Oystrick has experienced two shootings, one at Dorsey High School in Los Angeles 15 years ago and the other at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Oystrick understands the consequences of gun violence first hand after he and his students hid in a classroom for six hours, witnessing the Special Weapons And Tactics (S.W.A.T.) team searching for the shooters and weapons. According to Oystrick, Costa needs to provide more training on how to successfully run in an active shooter drill in every period, rather than just one.
However, unannounced active shooter drills across the country may scare students, without making them safer, per sandyhookpromise.org. According to National Association Education (NEA) President Lily Eskelsen García, schools need to take steps to ensure that drills are more beneficial than harmful. García says that some drills can be traumatizing to students and faculty if proper steps are not taken to ensure that students take away helpful information. However, conducting drills is necessary to communicate with the general campus regarding the proper protocol and safety precautions.
The new run, hide, defend protocol is beneficial to students, but in order to reduce the risk of school violence, the administration must provide education, promote the usage of the Costa Student Union, and supply defensive training in every class period to create a more effective lockdown protocol.
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