An anonymous threat was made against Topeka High and several other local schools this week, causing an increased police presence throughout the schools, and causing an increase in security and police presence.

Now it is a sad fact that school shootings are now a surprisingly commonplace tragedy, with at least 164 since 2013 which averages one per week according to Everytown Research, an organization advocating for gun safety but it is the era that this school now exists in, and they must thus take threats seriously, despite any cost and paranoia that may spawn from the incident.

So now schools are faced with taking every threat as a serious possibility. In the face of that, the administration acted accordingly, assuring the safety of their students while causing no undue inconvenience to students. Police were present in greater numbers and the majority of the schools doors were locked, requiring students to enter through the main hall. All together, a successful handling of what could have been a potentially horrible situation.

Many would claim that these threats are idle, made by students or malcontents with the idea of causing a stir at the school especially since the threat was non-specific. But in the face of national trends, the possibility of something more serious could not be ignored and it is better to put police and security measures in place for no reason than to risk another tragedy. It is not in the power of a single school district to change an alarming trend like school shootings, so they can only react and hope to prevent, which they did.

In fact, the preventative measures undertaken by the school should show students, families, and community members that the school is a secure and safe place, worthy of sending children for their education.