Opinion Story and Cartoon by Shannon Beck

Mount Vernon has fire drills and tornado drills, but what the school needs to have is intruder drills as well. Most people think that in a small town like Mount Vernon, a school shooting could never happen. But in fact, 14 percent of all mass shootings have occurred in towns with populations ranging from 2,500 to 9,999, and Mount Vernon falls into this population range.

School shootings can happen in any school no matter what the size. It’s hard to tell what others are thinking or what they are going through. It could be a normal day, and then suddenly everything changes because of a school shooter. A drill or a plan could make all the difference for the school by preparing the students for what could happen.

Mount Vernon should have two drills a year, one for each semester. In each class, the teacher could take five minutes to tell the class what to do if such an event occured. Some people might argue that participating in drills would only scare students; but in fact it would do the opposite, it would prepare them. A drill would help students know exactly what to do in case of an emergency, and it would teach them how to defend themselves. For instance, turning off the lights, barricading the door, and even using classroom objects for self defense.

Mount Vernon High School hopes a situation like this never takes place, but if it ever were to happen, at least the students and staff would be prepared. Having drills would not only make the students and staff feel safer, but it would also reacher the people, and parents outside of the school.