People like to throw around the notion that we must act on behalf of children, to secure them a better future. I vaguely recall being a child once, and some children seem to think that they have it all figured out for themselves. They still have a lot to learn, but don’t knock children’s decision-making capacities. They can display a high level of reasoning skills, and they can often see past lies to get at simple truths. Just try lying to a six- or seven-year-old.

Children are also very impressionable; their minds and opinions are easily shaped by their parents, environment, schooling, and even access to certain games or TV programs. Traumatic or life-changing events can affect their cognitive development. If even the smallest childhood incidents, like receiving a beautiful toy train set or falling off a bike, can have a major impact on a person’s adult life, then why are we adults, who often forget what it’s like to sit on a swing set or to be bullied in the sandbox, making decisions on behalf of children without consulting them?

I am referring to recent measures, such as those in states like South Dakota and Missouri, that explicitly authorize school employees to carry guns or even concealed weapons. According to a New York Times article, in West Plains, Missouri, one grammar school is apparently authorizing its teachers to undergo certification training so that they can carry weapons in school. In other states, measures are being considered to increase the presence of security personnel, even bona fide police officers, in schools. In some areas, such as Houston, Texas, law enforcement officials, rather than principals, have become the disciplinary responders in cases of scuffles, disobedience, and other minor everyday school hazards. According to another New York Times article, police officers on duty in schools in Texas write more than 100,000 misdemeanor tickets each year, which costs both families and the state hundreds of thousands of dollars and disproportionately affects young black and Latino students.

Has anyone asked students in inner city public schools how they feel about going to school with uniformed officers carrying batons, tasers, and even guns patrolling the halls, or how they feel when they or their peers are taken to court for a schoolyard dispute? Does it make them feel safer and motivate good behavior, or does it just make them fear the wrath of authority or dread certain situations?

Sometimes, children and young adults who are told that therapy might help them respond negatively to the idea because the suggestion seems to imply that they have serious issues that need to be fixed; similarly, the presence of police officers can make it seem as if the schoolchildren have done something deserving of punishment. Numerous studies have examined the effects of measures like racial profiling by law enforcement officials and extreme-behavior enforcement tactics in mental institutions and facilities that care for or supervise disabled students. Why shouldn’t we assess these school security measures in a similar manner?

Nowadays, classrooms no longer have dunce caps and whipping canes; we recognize that corporal punishment has a damaging effect. I strongly suggest that we reassess the potential consequences of heightening armed security in schools, and that we consider the students’ points of view, independent of their parents and guardians’ opinions, instead of just thinking that we know what’s best for them. After all, the world hasn’t exactly been perfect under our watch so far.