D.C. youth feel left out of the school safety debate. Eight weigh in.

  • 📰 postlocal
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 107 sec. here
  • 3 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 46%
  • Publisher: 59%

United States Headlines News

United States Latest News,United States Headlines

D.C. high school students tell how they feel about safety on their campuses and what they want city leaders to know.

, that are reversing the school police bans they adopted after George Floyd was murdered in 2020. In D.C., a new committee approved by the council will also explore alternate options for school safety.

“Even today I took an AP test and I was in the building that overlooks the area where the kid was shot. It was just very uncomfortable.” But last week’s shooting complicated things. “It’s a lot of conflicting emotions because they can make you feel safe, but also have that sense and aura of bad energy the way they walk around sometimes.” As long as police are in schools, she added, officers should work to have positive relationships with students.

Part of the problem, she said, is that there are too few adults in the building to keep a watchful eye or notice when something is amiss. “There’s just not enough teachers or staff to be on top of everybody,” Alcoser said. “The teachers don’t know us at all. There’s no type of connection with the teachers and the students because there’s so many of us, they don’t even know who we are.”

“The fights in school are a joke to me. I’m always the person walking past,” Alemayehu said. “The fights outside, however, that’s where people feel as though they have a lot of freedom … you don’t want to be there.”Still, Alemayehu said he feels safe at Dunbar — despite incidents includinglast school year and a recent lockdown after “an individual unknown to the Dunbar community” tried to enter the school, officials said.

Dawson, however, said she does not trust the police and does not want them in schools. The mere presence of officers makes her feel anxious, and she worries about being criminalized in a place where her focus should be on essays and algebra. She’d rather have additional teachers, counselors and other trusted adults. “Maybe they should hire staff specifically for breaking up fights or mediations.”

Dawson took the stage and looked out at the growing crowd. “Every single dollar that is spent on police or policing in our schools should be instead invested into something that can help students thrive and be safe,” she said.Unlike many high schools in D.C., BASIS, a charter campus in Northwest, doesn’t have security guards or metal detectors. Noemie Durand, a senior, said it’s their absence that makes her feel safe.

Source: Education Headlines (educationheadlines.net)

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 327. in US

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Trump’s GOP rivals nudge primary voters to consider the promise of eight years vs. fourFormer President Donald Trump dominates the GOP primary field in early polling but his rivals are ready to exploit a potential weakness: He can only serve one term if he wins in 2024.
Source: WashTimes - 🏆 235. / 63 Read more »

Two dead, eight wounded in Russian attack in Donetsk region - governorTwo people were killed and eight wounded in a Russian attack on the city of Toretsk in the eastern region of Donetsk on Monday, regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said.
Source: Reuters - 🏆 2. / 97 Read more »

Bidens mark eight years since Beau Biden's death | CNN PoliticsPresident Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden on Tuesday attended a memorial mass for Beau Biden marking eight years since his death from cancer, according to the White House.
Source: CNN - 🏆 4. / 95 Read more »

11 killed, 46 wounded in Memorial Day weekend violence in Chicago — deadliest in eight yearsThe Memorial Day weekend in Chicago was the deadliest in eight years.
Source: fox32news - 🏆 547. / 51 Read more »

The 10 Most Important Alien Races In Star WarsThe Star Wars franchise is full of countless aliens from a thousand worlds, but eight races proved to be the most important in shaping the saga.
Source: screenrant - 🏆 7. / 94 Read more »

Casa Bonita Sneak Peek: We Tried the New MenuThere are eight meal options, plus four more on the kids' menu for those twelve and under. None of them come with neon-orange cheese, but they do all include chips and salsa, plus those famous, honey-drizzled sopaipillas..
Source: denverwestword - 🏆 315. / 61 Read more »