Safety & Security at KAC: How Much is it Needed?

January, 2023

By Josselin Trejo, Staff Reporter

At KAC, there has never been a need to have security until last school year when events such as the bomb threat, guns brought to school, the increase in fights, and more occurred. The school has since then decided to bring in security guards. I am sure people are for and against these choices, and while in my freshman year in 2020, I did not feel like the school needed security, in 2021, it was the complete opposite.

These days Gen-Z are either mature and know what is right from wrong or are just plain out of control. But I say the kids at KAC are more out of control, and I am sure if you asked Principal Lopez if KAC has changed, she would say yes. And I would agree. My brother and sister are KAC graduates (2019 and 2021, respectively), and from what they have told me, they have always been close to the teachers and knew their limits. So when I told them about us having security guards, they laughed. Having gone through the bomb threat themselves, that did not get them a security guard, so for us, Gen-Z, to get them is understandable but alarming. Besides these graduates’ opinions, I decided to ask Officer Cruz (sat at the gym entrance) and Officer Jeremy (at the band hall) a couple of questions related to the topic. 

Wanting to get some insight into how these officers feel about being at KAC, they said they feel safe. Cruz states that there is nothing that makes him feel as if he is threatened or in any danger. Both agreed and responded that we kids should not be worried about our safety or any future events because they are in charge and know what their abilities are. Keeping this information in mind helps those who feel unsafe at school, but it does not change the fact that we had to get security guards because of us.