For nearly 3 years now, school has not been the same as it was before COVID-19 occurred, it was only a matter of time before everyone was able to go back into their classrooms to learn and collaborate with their peers once more after a year of being locked behind a screen, waiting for something good to happen. With everything that has happened, many students began to finally appreciate the time they would spend in their classrooms to which we begin to realize that maybe we can continue where we left off, once again. 

On Friday of October 27th, a disturbing text message had been discovered by school administrators regarding the possibility of an attack to occur within the school. Law enforcement officers had deemed the threat to be non credible however the Blackout rally which was supposed to take place that day had been postponed to prevent any further danger. The CVUSD Risk Management has now arranged for additional security to patrol Ayala’s campus, with even more Law enforcement to monitor the school activities. The question we must ask ourselves is why is this happening still? Ayala in the past had been threatened on many different occasions to which every threat had been deemed non credible, but how could we know that this is correct? The word of officials is not enough at this point in time, with the constant attacks on schools from all over the country, many students are concerned with their own safety and well being while being in school. 

When enquired of some of the issues that are currently happening, some students of Ayala had some things to say about this situation.

“It’s just crazy you know, so much is already going on even outside of school but now there is also so much going on now with some of these threats. Sure they might be fake and it’s just someone playing a bad prank but it really does make you stop and think about how there can always be a chance that one day it wasn’t a false alarm,” Justin Carranza (12) said. 

For the time students have been able to return back to school and actually enjoy their experience, the possible dangers and consequences such as these really can diminish the overall feeling of being in school. School is a place where we are supposed to enjoy being together, making friends, learning valuable lessons, acquiring new skills and so much more. School is not a place where there should be constant thoughts of possible dangers that could arise and that is simply unacceptable, according to some students. 

“Personally I think it’s just ridiculous at this point, I think everyone should a tleast have the chance to enjoy the time they have in school while they still can, I mean whether or not they actually enjoy school or not it’s still apart of almost everyone’s lives so not being able to get the full experience out of it can really be disappointing,” Luke Brooks (12) said. 

While it is fortunate that every single threat made to Ayala in the past had been deemed false, we can never be so certain that any future occurrences are more than likely false as well since as students and teachers, we are the ones who have to take the safest precautions as possible however, everyone is mindful of the impacts that this can have on themselves and more. While nothing can be made perfect, can there be anything else schools can do to prevent attacks like these from ever happening again? 

“I think maybe students should be more connected on a personal level, maybe with their own counselors or even someone else who can give them the support they need since I feel like not many people have direct guidance from someone and they might be going through something at home and they feel disconnected. Even though nothing is guaranteed I feel like it would help for others to have a good outlet that leads them in the right direction,” Max Gaglio (12) said. 

Although the Stranger Things Blackout rally was rescheduled for another date, let us hope we can continue on with our daily activities without the worry of danger and threat in our lives as we try to move forward.