School safety continues to be a concern at Elkhart High School and across America, especially considering last week’s incident in Michigan.

At 12:51 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 30, Oxford County Police received the first among hundreds of 911 calls about a school shooting at Oxford High School, just outside Detroit.

Once the first gunshot went off, students immediately went to barricade the doors shut with desks and chairs. Although they acted fast, within five minutes 11 people had already gotten shot. The 15-year-old gunman–Ethan Crumbley–had fired 15 to 20 shots with a semiautomatic handgun before being apprehended by deputies in the school hallway.

After the shooting, students fled from the building and some even rushed to meet their parents at a nearby grocery store. “Nobody should ever have to be afraid to go to school,” stated Governor Gretchen Whitmer. With that being said, how can schools get students to feel safe?

Elkhart junior Katie Rios exclaims, “I do feel safe in school, but then when I hear about the school shootings that happen all around the U.S., it scares me to think that one day that could be my school.” Not only does Rios have some strong feelings about safety and school, but so does junior Lesly Hernandez, who states,“I feel safe at school due to the security that my school has. If we didn’t have that security, I feel I would be more apt to be scared.”

To date, four students have died, along with six other students and one teacher being critically injured. Very few details have been shared about Crumley, whom authorities describe was a sophomore at Oxford High School. However, it was noted that he had been the school office for disciplinary reasons just prior to the incident, along with his parents. Once in custody, the suspect refused to speak in front of his parents. Officials have yet to identify a motive. Investigators have discovered numerous digital and journal evidence that indicates Crumbley pre-planned this event. He is being held on first degree murder “with intent to kill,” which carries a possible sentence of life in prison.

These school shootings need to come to an end. Students and staff that are still very young have yet to live their lives. Innocent people are getting injured and killed, causing heartbreak to the community and to individuals.