According to Education Week, there have been 14 school shootings since January 1 of this year. With gun violence becoming a near-weekly occurrence, no one should be surprised that American ingenuity has developed a “practical” solution: a fold-out, soundproof, bullet-proof safe room. (Click here to watch a safe room demonstration if you’ve never seen one).
However, when the news hit Reddit, this user made their thoughts clear with the subject line, “Thanks, I Hate It.”
“So many questions about this “rapid deploy safe room system.” Like, how does it work in a classroom packed with 36+ desks? And why do we just keep inventing more things instead of actually dealing with the issue at hand? (Never mind, I know the answer to that one.)”
Teachers from all over put in their two cents, and they were not impressed.
“Yup. My small band room with 50-60 kids totally has room for one of these …”
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“The demonstration was done with one adult (the demonstrator) in an empty room. … Yeah there’s no way that’s going to work.”
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According to this data from the National Center for Education Statistics, the average class size for secondary schools is 24 students. Some schools may have the extra room, but most teachers want room for desks, bookshelves, a teacher’s desk, and filing systems. Can classrooms truly afford the dead space necessary for such an item?
The inventor has a solution: Keep it up all the time! What could possibly go wrong with having an additional room inside your classroom?
“I would find my HS kids making out in it.”
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Who would have guessed many teachers don’t want a private room where shenanigans may happen without supervision?
“What will happen is the teacher will use it to lock her/himself in and scream when having a bad day.”
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But even if these are determined to be safe and valuable, we have one final hurdle: the bill.
“I have to buy basic school supplies myself. My entire second grade class shares ‘the eraser.'”
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Well if those second graders stopped making so many mistakes, I’m sure we could afford such devices (sarcasm).
“My first thought was: schools are running out of toilet paper. How the hell are they paying for a collapsible safe room!?”
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How dare students need toilet paper! Don’t they know to prioritize safety?
The prevailing theme on Reddit: These are impractical Band-Aids for a problem we continually fail to treat at its source.
We believe everyone deserves to feel safe at school. To read more about how gun violence is affecting schools, check out these articles:
“I’m Not OK With Letting You Take a Bullet for Me”—How Gun Violence Has Harmed Us All
8 Absurd Classroom “Solutions” to Gun Violence
These Teachers Aren’t Asking for Safer Schools, They’re Demanding Them
We Used to Love Teaching. Now We Fear for Our Lives.
What are your thoughts on safe rooms? Let us know in the comments.
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