(February 10, 2000) — Inmates being herded out of their cellblocks for short breaks. Gates are closed, locked and guarded. Inmates are forced to seclude themselves from “the outside.” Security guards walk around in uniforms, walkie-talkies clasped to the back of their belts in case they need assistance. Contrary to what you might be thinking, I’m not describing a prison. Though I exaggerate in description, this is what schools have become in many parts of the country. Where there once stood schools solely concerned about education, there now stand schools that nervously anticipate disorder. I attend one of the most protected schools in the Glendale district, Clark Magnet. Let me assure you, this is a good thing. One of the main reasons I attend Clark is because of the safety I am assured. Assistant principal Joan Shoff points out that other schools are not really dangerous and harboring future criminals; however, Clark has some advantages, such as a small student population, which contribute to its safer environment. I, and many other students I spoke to, greatly appreciate the security provided to us during school. One of the issues 100 students said they were most satisfied with in a 1999 student satisfaction survey was the issue of safety. The security helps me concentrate on more important issues, such as my studies. But how far should a school go in keeping its students safe? Must our personal rights and private lives be the price we have to pay? Questions like these arise in many students minds. By safeguarding students to such extremes, such as having security roaming constantly throughout the campus, is there not some inferiority or seclusion instilled within the students? Yet, if such extremes are not taken, what possible outbreaks could occur on campus?