Safety Concerns Discussed at Opelousas Junior High

The past several weeks have not been the best of weeks for faculty, administrators, and students at Opelousas Jr. High School. The school has had two arrests on campus for students with weapons. That is not the kind of environment students deserve when it comes to a nurturing learning environment.

Last night a town hall-style meeting was held at the school so concerned parents, students, administrators, and civic and educational leaders could gather information on the problem and begin working toward solving the issues. One of the more frightening facts from that meeting was reported in a story by Chris Welty of KATC TV.

Welty's report mentioned the results of a survey taken of OJH Students. In that survey 196 of the 222 respondents said that guns and weapons on campus were the school's biggest safety issue. That issue was followed by bullying and on-campus violence rounding out the top three.

The next step in the transformation process for the school will come in the form of a private meeting between Opelousas Junior High Principal Dr. Monica Fabre and parents. Among the solutions to the weapons' problems that were discussed at the meeting was the possibility of adding metal detectors to the school campus.

Obviously, this is a developing situation and the problem won't be solved overnight. However, it is good to see students, administrators, community leaders, and parents uniting to create a much more positive environment for learning for the student body at OJH.