Remain quiet. Find the assigned safe spot. If necessary, run or fight back. These are the same simple procedures that have been drilled into students’ brains since the beginning of their education at Kaneland. The safety of students and staff is one of Kaneland’s top priorities, but with the national rise of school-related violence rates, safety procedures can inevitably be questioned.
A day of school has the opportunity to create a unique experience for each student. For some, they come to school every day to learn. Others use it to escape their house and see their friends. No matter what school means to them, no child should have to question their own safety in their place of learning, but that is the unfortunate reality that students in all schools have had to adapt to.
In 2025, there were 75 school shootings, according to the CNN crime and justice website. That means 75 schools full of students eager to learn and interact with their peers, undeserving of the trauma they experienced. Kaneland High School is filled with security guards who are trained and ready to do their jobs. Additionally, when there is a threat to students’ safety, administration announces a hold-in-place to keep everyone safe and contained. However, are these measures enough for students to truly be and feel protected?
Junior Cooper Marler has been a student in this district his whole life, starting at Blackberry Creek Elementary School and now at the high school. Kaneland rules are the only rules he has ever known, and he has grown familiar with them. Despite knowing the safety plans well, they don’t bring him much comfort.
“I don’t always feel safe here,” Marler said. “I feel like lately there have been a lot of lockdowns, and we don’t really get the context. As students, we are primarily affected, and when we don’t know what is happening, it’s hard not to be scared.”
With the increase of gun violence throughout the country, including in schools, it is important that students are informed about what is happening so we do not have to worry unnecessarily about our safety. Information on why a lockdown was put in place or other precautions are being taken can ease anxiety and make students feel more protected.
“Last school year, there was a lockdown that was two or three periods long,” Marler said. “I was stuck in my gym class, and no one knew what was going on. Everyone was scared.”
People other than students are affected by threats as well, from parents to teachers to administrators. If there is a danger to a school’s safety that is disrupting the day, we all deserve to know what is going on. If we remain uninformed, it can cause rumors.
Further, students who are new to this district and aren’t familiar with Kaneland’s lockdown procedures may feel even more confused.
Senior Nazha Kattoum is at her third high school in four years. Throughout her diverse experiences, she has noticed a variety of approaches to safety.
“At my old schools, we were more instructed on where to go during an emergency,” Kattoum said. “We had assigned classrooms and spaces so we would know where to go immediately. I think we should focus more on shooter drills because you never really know what to do in those situations.”
Being sufficiently prepared is essential for the protection of students during a threat. Having more realistic drills more often would provide students with more of an understanding on what to do during a scary situation, which might save lives. One of the best things anyone can do is listen to officials and not create any further danger.
Deputy Police Officer Eric Perkins is Kaneland’s School Resource Officer (SRO). He oversees the safety of students and tries to build strong connections with each individual. He is in his second year of working here, but he has worked at the Kane County sheriff’s office for the past six years. He is involved in any possible threat made to the school first hand and takes action.
“Any crime has to be validated,” Perkins said. “We respond appropriately depending on the context and nature of what’s happening. There have been times where I have had to thoroughly investigate possible threats in the school to ensure all of the students’ safety.”
Perkins understands the gravity of his role as SRO, and he wants to ensure students that his number one priority is keeping students as safe as he possibily can.
It is important that students themselves feel protected and safe coming into school each day. The school must be better at communicating and be more transparent during active threats. It is also our responsibility as students that we remain educated on what to do and what not to do in the event that anything dangerous were to happen. We need to do our parts to avoid any possible harm to someone else, but we also need to be better informed on proper and realistic safety precautions.
