Wilson HS- Long Beach, California 

The students at Wilson high school have been back on campus for one full semester, and there are many aspects of their school lives that have been altered. There are external factors like covid and world matterns, along with internal factors like student conflict, and with these new matters come new policies and regulations to deal with them. But has the school taken enough measures to make school life feel safe for students? 

When it comes to the way students interact with each other and treat each other, one student said,

 “I feel like the students don’t really respect each other.”  While another student expressed concerns for gangs, rivalries, and race issues on campus. Some students feel there is resentment towards those of different races that can come from the students themselves. But there are also a number of students who feel safe and comfortable around all of their peers. They describe their experiences as, if they are kind to their peers they will be kind in return. 

A student also shares their appreciation for Wilson being a gated school, where the students stay safe inside with no worry of unwanted people entering campus. 

An aspect of school life students are split on is the matter of staff. Some students shared the opinion that they feel unsafe on campus because of staff.  A senior at WIlson shared their experiences by saying,

  “I don’t feel safe around staff…I’ve been followed into bathrooms after being in trouble” They often feel that they don’t have privacy on campus in places where they should. 

Another senior said,

  “I feel like they have a certain authority over me and that can be quite terrifying at times.” Some students feel unsafe knowing there is someone who has power over them on campus. They feel less comfortable and unsafe around staff, then their peers. 

Another perspective that students have on staff is that they do in fact feel safe around them. Some students feel as if they have at least one staff member on this campus that they could go to if they needed help. 

The student body seems to be split on whether they feel safe at Wilson, with matters like staff and students concerning them. Some feel safe around everyone and generally do not have negative experiences on campus, and others feel unsafe around Wilson staff and students and have had a number of negative experiences. There is no definite majority opinion, but the students have spoken about their feelings and experiences on the campus of Wilson High School.