School safety must be prioritized
Over the past couple of months, there have been multiple incidents on NPHS’ campus where student safety was threatened. On Dec. 5, 2024, a naked man ran from a crime scene onto the football field where he was eventually arrested for suspicion of murder. Then, on Jan. 13, another adult man was caught naked in the girls’ locker room by a student. The school did not release a statement until two days later. Though there is no reason to sensationalize these events, students and parents have the right to know what exactly happened and how the school handled the situation. The statement briefly explained what happened and suggested students, “Try to remain calm,” when concerned about suspicious people on campus. It was emailed to parents but the school failed to send the statement to staff and students. With no communication between all facets of our school, the influx of misinformation and rumors ran wild. This, in turn, left students uncertain, confused and worried. Now is not the time to compromise students’ safety by attempting to sweep these incidents under the rug.
These events have led the student body to question our school’s safety measures and how secure our campus really is. Considering how many students participate in after-school sports, it is intolerable that it was so easy for a perpetrator to enter the girls’ locker room, and it seems that there has been no tangible change made since. In fact, he did not even need to sneak onto campus; he parked in the lot by the track, walked on and ran off.
With little to no security before 8:30 a.m. and after 2:25 p.m., students are unprotected before and after school hours. There are currently six zero-period classes equating to an average of 180 students and 15 seventh-period classes adding up to approximately 450 students. There are also 47 total sports teams throughout the year that practice after school. Considering these numbers, it is absurd that during these times gates are left open and anybody can move throughout the school without questioning.
More than the emotional toll recent events have caused student witnesses, many have questioned how this is perceived by people outside of Newbury Park. Students took to social media to call NPHS, “Naked People High School.” Both events reached known news networks, and to those outside of our immediate Ventura County, it seems jarring that such egregious incidents took place within almost a month of each other. If our school appears vulnerable to our community and people across the country, we could become an easy target, making other campus tragedies seem inevitable. Concerns have begun to beg the question of whether a school shooter could come onto campus just as easily as the previous intruders. As school shootings become a continually heightened concern in the U.S., it is crucial to open up the conversation of how to keep our school safe.
Although our school has taken precautions including face-detecting technology on security cameras and encouraging students to go to the locker room in a buddy system, these efforts make no difference in preventing dangerous events from occurring. Furthermore, the mention of a “buddy system” implies it is the girl’s fault for being in the locker room alone, placing the blame on vulnerable victims of possible predators. After the incident in the locker room, the statement sent out by Lepire stated, “Do not attempt to engage any individual or group you believe could be a danger to you, others or themselves,” which once again left it to students to fend for themselves. Although this is sound advice and could apply in an emergency situation, it is unbelievable the recent events have elicited high school students to respond to emergency situations. Our school should be a safe space for students, one in which they do not fear intruders entering campus or posing a threat to their safety. However, this has proven to be a valid concern, considering the influx of naked men intruding on campus.
Additionally, the sense of anxiety many students feel about attending school is heightened by the recent immigration policy change enacted by President Trump’s administration. The previous policy, which was in place since 2011, restricted sensitive places where the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement [ICE] could make arrests. Now, ICE can make arrests in schools, hospitals and churches, which caused an uptick in parents keeping their children home from school. It is devastating that anyone feels afraid to come to school, yet our recent history proves this fear is not unfounded. This change in policy leads to uncertainty in the school’s population, as ICE is now not confined by law. The thought of ICE showing up on our campus is unsettling, however, it is possible that this could become a reality, forcing many smart, capable students to feel that they can no longer come to school. This is an unfortunate reality, and considering the recent safety breaches on our campus, it is unacceptable that our school has not taken enough action to protect its students.
Communication is key to ensuring our school is a safe space for students. Teachers and administration should hold open discussions with students, promising them their effort to protect if an intruder or ICE comes to our school. By communicating with students and taking necessary precautions, NPHS will become the welcoming environment it claims to be.
