The student news site of Daniel Pearl Magnet High School in Lake Balboa, CA

The Pearl Post

  • March 23Field trip to The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens on Friday, April 5
  • March 23Biliteracy Testing on Thursday, April 4 during period 3
  • March 23No school on Monday, April 1 for Cesar Chavez Day
  • March 15Super Smash Bros. Tournament at 3:45 p.m. in the library on Wednesday, March 20
  • March 15SAT School Day for juniors in the MPR on Wednesday, March 20
  • March 15Open House from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19

The Pearl Post

The student news site of Daniel Pearl Magnet High School in Lake Balboa, CA

The student news site of Daniel Pearl Magnet High School in Lake Balboa, CA

The Pearl Post

Editorial: Do students take their safety for granted?

Twenty-six young lives were lost all in one day. 26 kids who just went about their day to day routine lost their lives all in one day. Nobody could’ve foreseen such a tragedy, so of course there was no plan. Who would gun down kindergarteners? 26 kids won’t experience the horrors of puberty or the joy of marriage because there was no plan.

Since the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, schools around the nation have been revamping their safety plans and ensuring that they are prepared for such emergencies. But why now? Did it take 26 young lives for people to realize that we don’t value the safety of our future? That would appear to be the case.

Even here at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School, there seems to be an air of overconfidence in the safety of our school. While it is important for students to have a safe learning environment, it is equally as important to make sure that students, staff, and faculty know what to do in case of an emergency. We have fire and earthquake drills, on average, twice a year and even then majority of the students don’t take them seriously. It’s taken for granted that our school is nestled in between three larger schools and a police station. We don’t really think about what could happen, we just assume that it won’t.

This needs to change. The amount of increased security around schools and officers stopping by will not matter if students and teachers aren’t aware of the possibilities. When asked how familiar they were with their school’s safety plan, one student replied “Do we even have a safety plan?”

According to a report by ABC 7, it did take this tragedy in Connecticut to wake up California lawmakers. California State Senator Ted Lieu has taken it upon himself to refurbish and perfect school safety plans all over the state. After the shooting in Connecticut Lieu checked some statistics and found that over 50% of California schools did not comply with the California school safety standards.

Don’t let those 26 lives have been lost for nothing. Take this wake up call and use it to make a change. Whether you attend an elementary school in the middle of a forested Newtown or a high school in the middle of Lake Balboa, be aware of your surroundings and be prepared.

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