When Heritage High School reopens, it will be with much more security. Why do they need security? This is because they want to protect the students. What exactly happened? Well, on September 20th, two seventeen-year-olds got shot and hurt after a fifteen-year-old fired a gun and hurt them. This resulted in a temporary closure of the school. Furthermore, the Executive Director of Secondary School Leadership, Dr. Felicia Barnett made mention with a specific statement. “We really wanted to make sure we gathered input on how the students were feeling about returning back, how the teachers were feeling about it.”

Certainly, after the shocking experience, students of Heritage High may want to ease back into learning, though if the pandemic can remind us anything, it’s the usefulness of perspective.

This is all to say that school shootings should stop. But chances are, however, that they won’t so quickly. And the reason why this is is that there happens to be a lack of trucks with the students. There are now six security guards on standby at the campus. Huntington Middle School, in the middle of Heritage High School, will have one of the security guards as well.

Finally, metal detectors will even be more consistent. “Whether it be through our bus scans, using our detection wands, also the use of metal detectors coming inside of the building, as well as classroom searches and quick scans, so we have a variety of methods consistently yet unannounced so that students feel safe coming in the building.” Students that wish to reflect are encouraged by the teachers, who reportedly will provide coping strategies to deal with upon returning after such a traumatic event. Wouldn’t you want some way to cope as pleasantly and peacefully? I imagine anyone who is everyone exhibits a need to stay safe.