What If Students Became More Powerful Than The Politicians?

March For Our Lives
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

What if, indeed?

What if students did become more powerful than the politicians?

Back in 2015, I posted a comment in a local message board here in Colorado (School Safety: To Plan or Not to Plan) about a meeting I had with a group of Denver East High School students. The topic for discussion was 'campus carry'.

Here's the post:

Yesterday, March 25, 2015 I had the pleasure of meeting with a group of high school students from East High School in Denver, CO. This is an activist group that has a range of things on their agenda that they hope to address over time. The subject of this particular discussion was "gun violence". 

I must admit I was a little apprehensive going in as to what to expect. After all, it's been over 30 years since I last set foot in a classroom at that level and in a "teaching" capacity (although I wasn't there to teach, but, rather, to discuss with them), and I'm not so naive as to think things haven't changed over time. So, my anxiety levels were pretty high. They weren't warranted. 

There were around 20 kids present. With the exception of one young man, the rest were all young women. 

I started the session with a simple question: "How many of you support campus carry?" None of them raised their hand. The next question was: "How many of you oppose campus carry". Every single person present raised their hand including the two adults who kind of help "guide" this group. 

Bottom line? This group is seeking knowledge, and therein lies their power. If anything at all was accomplished during this session, my hope is that it rests in this fact, and that this group of young women and one young man 'get that'. I believe they do. 

We talked about emotion in the ongoing debate. We talked about their role, from both an individual and a group perspective, and how they've pretty much been excluded from participation by adults on every professional level even though age appropriate students are key stakeholders when it comes to school safety. 

Finally, I was struck by their level of maturity and their willingness to listen, engage in discussion, ask questions, and, ultimately, to learn in this very contentious brouhaha going on around the country. That's something I haven't really seen all that much of from "adults" engaged in it. 

This is a group that will ultimately be heard. I just hope the adults who hear them also heed what they have to say.

Pretty benign, right? At least I thought it was.

My thinking was along the lines of how age appropriate students need to be invited to the table when discussing their safety while at school. I also thought a simple 'good job on your advocacy' pat on the back for these Denver East High School students might be appropriate.

My opinion on this hasn't changed in the intervening years.

The first response out of the gate:

Unless you are aware of an exemption to state and federal law, the first requirement for concealed carry is be at least 21 years or older. Since this is a high school, most students are less than 19 years old. Whom exactly were they expecting to be carrying? School staff is prohibited from concealed carry under existing laws. 

I just returned from training at Front Sight and met a man that worked for 3M in Minnesota and over dinner the discussion turned to the apparent lack of concern for our children when at school by some school officials. Since heaven forbid, we can't trust trained and vetted adults to protect them, we want more useless and ineffective laws that will continue to pose no help for our children until law enforcement arrives. He told us about window protection that will protect from gunfire and impact attacks, door lock guards and other products.

This person's post was accompanied by a short video on window protection followed by several comments on gun rights, gun free zones, and other asundry pro-gun advocacy comments ad nauseum.

Because school hardening wasn't the topic for discussion, I refused to engage in discussing the 'hardware' part of school safety. I did, however, go on to spar back and forth a bit on the issue of campus carry because that was the topic for discussion in the meeting with the kids. I'll leave it to the reader's imagination what this person's position on campus carry was.

The bottom line, from my perspective, is pro-guns everywhere advocates are still basically saying that students don't know what they're talking about because...well, because they're still high school students...that they lack life experiences to be able to 'talk to the issues' knowledgeably, that they aren't mature enough, that they aren't old enough to have a voice in their own safety while in school.

MSD HS Students
at Gun Violence Legislation
Support Rally
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Enter David Hogg, Emma Gonzalez, and a whole slew of kids from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School now demanding a voice at the table.

Perhaps instead of saying 'this is a group that will ultimately be heard' in my message board post, I should have said 'this generation will ultimately be heard'.

To me, these kids show more maturity on the issues of gun violence prevention and school safety than do many of the so-called 'adults' taking part in the conversation.

Have 'adults' who advocate for campus carry considered the possibility that their advocacy to make students feel safer by allowing guns on campus might not automatically do so....that some students might feel less safe with guns on campus?

Sadly, there are legislators currently trying to force 'safety measures' that allow campus carry down the throats of students and schools.

That may make some 'adults' who advocate for campus carry feel good. It may also make them feel like they're doing something pro-active and positive 'for' students and faculty.

But is it not also possible that by forcing their concept of safe schools that include guns on campus onto others by codifying campus carry into law, it is being done TO those students and faculty, not FOR them?

Take Florida as one example: Florida campus carry makes a comeback as debate over guns simmers ahead of 2019 session:

The proposal has drawn opposition from parents, administrators and the unions that represent K-12 teachers and university faculty.

“We've fought this issue every session since at least 2014 and prepare for it every year,” said Marshall Ogletree of the United Faculty of Florida. “Anytime you let any weapon on a campus you are inviting trouble.”

So, as the sign at the beginning of this essay says:

What if the Students Became More Powerful Than the Politicians?

Think about that for a sec. What if, indeed....

* Comments on this blog are moderated.