You, as a Blue Valley student, get in trouble for arriving 30 seconds late to class.
Parking in a spot that was not assigned to you is punishable by a parking ticket.
Even wearing a beanie could get you an office referral.
Why?
The Broken Windows Theory, of course.
In the ‘80s, when New York City was less admired and more of a Compton atmosphere, the mayor came up with a solution to lower crime rates.
Essentially, the theory is to make the small things a bigger deal so the real problems never happen. In NYC, the theory was applied by arresting people for graffiti so no one would dare commit murder. It worked.
Since then, the theory has been adopted all over the United States.
Now, maybe the administrators of BV didn’t plan on using this theory, but we can all probably agree they do a great job of applying it.
Can you honestly say you’ve ever skipped school? Even on senior skip day? Having your guardian call you out doesn’t count. Probably not many of you have.
None of us would easily get away with it when female students get in trouble for showing shoulders.
Maximizing this theory and our high graduation rate are why BV was named a Blue Ribbon school in 2012.
We’ve all been hypnotized into thinking coming to school 12.36 seconds late entirely knocks out our chances of having a successful future.
We are “the best school in Kansas” because they can control us.
We are not worthy of being a Blue Ribbon school.
We do not treat one another with respect.
We may test well.
We may shut up when we’re told to.
But a school should not aim to be run like a city.
The safety of BV is incredibly important, but the administration has taken it too far. They may be trying to better prepare us for our future, but reigning over us is not the answer.
Yes, common rules are needed to prevent chaos.
But, a stricter dress code in the spring will prepare me for nothing other than to accept the fact that as a teenager, I will continue to be powerless. It is confusing that sweat pants are school-appropriate or professional, but a skirt above my finger tips, even with tights, is scandalous.
Taking this theory to such an extreme is simply unnecessary.
It shouldn’t go so far that our respect is compromised.
The administration needs to seriously consider treating us with more respect and less control.
You have control of us. The least you could do is smile in the hall rather than looking us up and down for flaws.
Perhaps it’s not meant to be this way, but I, along with a plethora of students feel uncomfortable at school every day.
