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More Security for our Schools A 16-year-old, dark, shadowy image appears in the doorway of the classroom. "Jack, you’re late for class again," the teacher says as he approaches the dark shadowy image. "Have a seat." The 16-year-old boy’s mouth remains straight and his eyes appear hollow as he pears into the room. "Hey dork, are you retarded or something? Why ain’t you moving?" one of the football players in the back yells to the figure in the door. "Steve, do you want detention?" the teacher replies strikingly to the young football player. "Now please take your seat Jack, we’ll discuss your tardiness after class." Jack takes one more step into the classroom and reaches into his baggy hooded sweatshirt. Like a zombie, he pulls out a shiny, silver pistol and begins firing, first at the football jock that caused him so much torment in school, and then at the teacher who was constantly on his case during class. The scrambling students finally tackle Jack to the ground, but not before the teacher and the football player are murdered. This scenario is one possibility that could happen in a school without the right security in place. In fact, this scenario may seem somewhat familiar in the killings at Columbine High and in several other schools. These incidents prove that schools are not safe enough and certain measures must be taken to ensure the safety of students and teachers. School conflict can be found in every nook ‘n cranny in every school. It exists in classrooms, lunchrooms, and teachers’ lounges, in the principal’s office, in the hallways, and on the playgrounds. It exists in university settings, in every faculty meeting, in seminars and labs, and in dorms. Any person can also provoke school conflict. A bully, soubrette, jock, or teacher can set off any one individual to cause conflict. This conflict can range from verbal abuse to punching and even killing people. The Conflict Resolution in the Schools publication states that "First, conflict is not inherently positive or negative; rather, it is a natural part of life. Second, conflict affects us all – at all ages, in all settings, within a single culture or community and across all cultures and communities. Third, learning how to look at conflict and how to understand and analyze it can help us shape more effective and productive responses to it" (Girard, Susan J.
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