Viewpoints
School Police Officer
By Kara McElroy Steele
December 10, 2009
Thursday
Just a quick comment for the issue of having a police officer
in Ketchikan High School. As a graduate of Kayhi in the 80's,
it takes only a minute or less to see how our lives have changed
over the years. The drugs are worse, kids are taking guns and
knives to school, or in the latest case up here in Anchorage....a
father looked into his high school son's back pack and found
home made pipe bombs. Who took care of it? The on site police
officer and the Dad.
Since our move to Kenai, one thing was quickly noticed. In the
high school, they had an officer when my kids were attending
school. Most Anchorage schools are putting in metal detectors
to assist the police because its getting so crazy. If anything,
look at it as a positive force against so much of the negative
affecting our children every day at school. When we went to
school, our fears were a little different. If you were a fighter,
you had your typical school fights.... getting busted smoking
cigarrettes, being late for class, or whatever...we had enough
respect for our parents, that most thought twice before flat
out disobeying the law.
The presence of an officer as school is preperation for LIFE.
I'm sure there are enough people out there who remember the old
"smoking area" at the school? I remember as a Freshman
it was off the back entrance by Mr. Jimdar's art class. Later,
it was moved to a squared off spot around the humanities area.
Finally, sometime before I graduated, it was finally realized
it was a DUMB idea and yanked the area all together. I tell
my kids about that and they are like "What the hell?"
Times have changed....period. To offer your kids more safety
at school (when that should NEVER be an issue)....an officer
can help out so much. Kids feel safer talking to them. Stop
putting the blinders on and realize times have changed from "back
in the day"...our kids are NOT the same as we were...
Sincerely,
Kara McElroy Steele
Kenai, AK
About: "40 yrs as an Alaskan,
most of my youth and adulthood spent in Ketchikan until 1997
when we moved away."
Received December 02, 2009
- Published December 10, 2009
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