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IDs on campus at all times: Potomac High School students share ideas on school safety

WOODBRIDGE — Students at Potomac Senior High School are focused on how to prevent a mass shooting at their school.

About 200 gathered in the school’s Woodbridge auditorium at 3401 Panther Pride Drive on April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado,  to talk about the threat of shootings, as well as mental health issues.

We named this assembly ‘It Could’ve Been Us’ because every school that has faced the tragedy of a shooting didn’t think that they would be the school to experience that,” said Lyndy Minitrez, the school’s Student Council President. “ Any school could face that situation.  ‘It Could’ve Been Us’ is a statement that makes you realize that we can make proper steps to prevent death and injury due to mass shootings within both our schools and communities.”

Students took about 20 minutes during the hour and a half program to ask questions of school officials, pressing them on school safety issues.

They also shared their ideas on how to make a safer campus:

  • Erect a sign-in station in the front office instead of allowing visitors into the main hallway to obtain a visitors pass
  • Require students to wear IDs on campus at all times
  • Install ID scanners at the building to permit access

“We also want our adults to advocate for the providing of better and more affordable mental health care and awareness towards social stigmas that have been in place in society,” added Minitrez.

Students also called for stricter background checks to buy guns.

Prince William County Neabsco District Supervisor John Jenkins will hold a meeting to discuss school safety at nearby Gar-Field Senior High School at 14000 Smoketown Road in Woodbridge on May 2 at 7 p.m. The meeting is open to the public and comes after similar meetings held in Prince William County by Supervisors Marty Nohe and Jeanine Lawson.

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