Each day, thousands of educators across the country head into their classrooms, prepared to teach lessons, administer tests and lead academic discussions.
But in light of the fatal shooting Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, educators are thinking more about security procedures, lockdown drills and what would happen if an active shooter entered campus.
“No one has said they are more afraid than in the past, but I would say there is a heightened awareness with regard to security,” said Jonathan Cole, a Lafayette High teacher and president of the Lafayette Parish Association of Educators.
Cole said Lafayette Parish district and school administrators have done a good job with preparations and plans for the worst-case scenarios. Lockdown drills are held regularly. Many middle and high schools have school resource officers on campus all day.
“I think one thing I’ve heard is about how we keep an eye on things, our presence in the halls, in class, keeping an open ear to what’s going on,” Cole said. “With this kind of increased awareness, students are probably more likely to report things than in the past, and we have to be cognizant of that.”
Across Louisiana this week, officials placed multiple schools on temporary lockdowns after students reported threats of violence. Evangeline Parish schools were closed for one day while police investigated threats and eventually gave the all-clear.
Les Landon, spokesman for the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, said the increased awareness is good, but most schools need more resources to help troubled students.
“We have to do a better job of identifying people who might be a risk, but an awful lot of that falls on school guidance counselors, who spend way too much of their time doing testing and things like that instead of interacting with students,” Landon said. “We have to provide more resources for counseling and mental health. That is essential.”
Debbie Meaux, president of the Louisiana Association of Educators, agreed, saying new responsibilities have made it harder for counselors to develop relationships with students, understand their backgrounds and identify potential red flags.
“Most of their work is test coordination,” she said. “I believe we have hired counselors, but they are not doing what they were hired to do. The testing mania has pretty much occupied probably 80 to 90 percent of their time.”
She added that large class sizes – up to 30 students per class in some cases – can make it hard for teachers to develop personal relationships with students.
Meaux said she hasn’t gotten the sense that teachers are fearful, but they are becoming more cognizant about overall security on campus. Many have told her they feel schools are not as secure as they could be, and they want community-wide conversations about how to change that.
Among many Louisiana teachers, Meaux said there are mixed feelings about measures such as metal detectors and reducing entrance points. While nationwide, there has been some talk about arming teachers, Meaux said most teachers she knows do not support of that idea.
“The opinions on a lot of things are split, but almost everyone I have talked to has said assault weapons should be banned, and anything that turns a weapon into an assault weapon should be banned. That’s a pretty unanimous opinion,” Meaux said. “They are also in favor of background checks to make sure people with violent records or mental health issues are not getting access to these guns legally.”
Landon said he has also heard teachers wanting more discussion and action about the design of school sites.
“So many of our schools are built with open campuses,” he said. “We need to re-think the way schools are configured so it is very difficult for a person to get in. We have one or two police officers on a campus, but they can’t be everywhere. We need to make it more difficult for someone who intends harm to get in. Unfortunately, that takes money our schools just don’t have.”
But there is a sense the Parkland shooting might be a turning point, in large part because students are driving the conversation. Several Parkland survivors have been outspoken about their feelings on gun control, mental health and school safety.
Cole said Lafayette students have initiated class discussions about similar topics.
“A lot of teachers say the kids are coming in and asking what happens if the unthinkable were to happen in Lafayette,” he said. “It’s led to some civic participation. Teenagers are asking how they can reach their elected officials. Students are asking how the school responds to bullying. They are wanting to go beyond the lesson as far as discussions about the Second Amendment. It’s been a real difficult time for a lot of people, but at the same time, it’s been a learning experience.”