Students of Carver Engineering and Science in Philadelphia are at odds with the district on their invasive safety precautions. The extensive searches and routines that are implemented every morning have staff and students alike questioning the purposes.
Every morning students are expected to be in school and seated in advisory by 7:45 to 7:50 AM. However, the line to get inside the building is so long that many students end up being late as a result of the metal detectors. The security protocol is to put away all metal items in the book bag and send it through the scan machine, after this you can step through the metal detector. Simir Hampton, a senior, has had some experience with this routine and feels like it’s “excessive.”
"We used to only have to put away our phones and now students have to strip off even the fakest of jewelry and hold up the line… Honestly it reminds me of a jail."
The district has required almost every Philadelphia high school to enact these procedures considering Philadelphia has skyrocketed in homicides and shootings. Philadelphia has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes - from the smallest towns to the very largest cities.
To date, there have been 445 homicides in 2021, a 14% increase from 2020. This push for safety, although with good intentions, has just become a burden to those who have to live through it daily. One main burden on Carver is that only one machine is active, slowing down the process immensely.
Officer Bailey
"..This school is pretty cool right here, the kids are respectful and quiet.. they do what they are supposed to do."
The security staff also have their hands full trying to speed up the movement in the morning. Officer Bailey has been working with schools for 21 years and has seen the changes over the years. The city of Philadelphia has pushed young people to make desperate decisions to survive even on the way to school. This choice to carry a weapon or form of protection is cut off as soon as a student walks through the gate.
"All high schools I’ve seen do the metal detectors except for elementary and middle schools… high school students are obviously a little more mature… so they can get access to more things as far as weapons."
With the assumption that teens are more capable of bringing weapons to the school building, it brings up the question about who is really being kept safe in the building. It is a known fact that all over the U.S., schools are getting sparse of teachers. Understaffed is a moderate term for the education buildings in Philadelphia. There is no way they can afford to pay for more staff. The mornings are hard enough, but when thinking into the future, what is a priority and what is not. Mrs. Elizabeth Curry, the vice principal of Carver spoke about her personal beliefs contradicting her professional duties.
"We're using what we have available to us here and kind of implementing that on a daily basis. It's very unnerving to be worried about 900 students and their safety all the time," she said. "I'll be honest, I don't love the scan.. I think walking through that gives everyone a level of awareness. "
This level of awareness that penetrates the school is apparent, and although the school is trying their best to keep the students safe, the district has no money to spare for more inclusive security. Students and staff are going to continue to voice their opinions until better options are presented. The violence in the city will not extend to the students of Carver, and they prefer to be treated like respected students instead of inmates.
"I want to come to school and not be held up late because the machine mistakes my belt for a knife." Ade Hopson, 12th Grade.