The Bluffer - Red Bluff, CA
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/797667
Aly Smith Staff Writer Page 2 March 10, 2017 Opinions Editorial Policy: Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the district, staff, or student body. We welcome signed letters to the editor. Names may be withheld upon request. We also reserve the right to edit submission based on length and/or clarity. THE BLU FFER STA FF Lexi Pritchard Editor-in-Chief Britney Miranda Brooke Blythe Features Editor Claire Miller Gabriel Hale Sports Editor Becca Frey Sophia Cumpton Topics Editor Julissa Villalobos Editor-in-Chief Abby O'Sullivan Advertising Director Alisa Pelanconi Adviser Cartoonists Amanda Waugh Leslie Soto Opinions Editor Brianna Tackmier Trinity Stehno Staff Writers Sarah Herrera Yesenia Cerrillo Marissa Mills Aly Smith Stephanie Pena Logan Carver Easton Ross Bryce Stephenson Rebeccah Smith Katie Louisell Kennady Sandow Noah Caylor Caden Moniz Kourtney Sanders Shania Prieto A-&-E Editor The weather is out of control. SPARTAN THUMBS ACT Oscars Pants in March School Coming to an We only have 11 weeks left of school. It's good that it's free. Nobody really cares about them. Spring Sports They're fun to play. **Thumbs were acquired by Noah Caylor in Mrs. Durfee's class.** Amanda Waugh Cartoonist Logan Carver Staff Writer thoroughly in Trump's election that Canada's immigration website can only take so many applications. From this our nation has spawned our 'right to know' laws, centered on the knowledge that citizens want to know all potential risks to themselves. If anything, this has created more fear because with these laws people now can access research on small and large scales which can yield different results depending on the size, controls and variables involved. On the other side of our instinct, we can't fight without causing a civil war because as a nation we are divided for and against controversial issues such as closing our borders, limiting trade and immigration. Due to these circumstances, we can simply talk about all the problems in our country and contemplate the potential consequences, thus feeding our own fear. Fear is like our panic button and when something out of our control happens, it triggers that fear. This is why we are as a nation living in fear; there are so many variables out of our control that we can't comprehend which potential future scenario is most likely to take place and adequately prepare ourselves. Staff Editorial The question of fear... As much as the vast majority of us would like to deny it, we are a nation living in fear. We are living in fear of terrorism, enemy foreign nations and an unqualified radical president. What they all have in common to us here in Red Bluff is the fact that none of these fears are immediate, near, harmful or controllable by us. Put simply: we fear the unknown. We all know that nothing Donald Trump decrees will instantly affect us, we know that as much as Putin hates us he knows nothing of Red Bluff and we all know that not all Middle Eastern people from halfway around the world are terrorists that know about Red Bluff, yet these are the things we fear. According to a study conducted at Clark University in Massachusetts, people react poorly to risks that are placed upon them by almost anything other than themselves. Hence, this fear of the unknown that many people talk about. In fact, this is part of the basis of the fight or flight instinct we all have. However, fight or flight aren't our two best solutions to fixing our fears. We can't run from enemy nations, unless we live in Canada, which our nation proved so News Editors Lexi Pritchard Julissa Villalobos RBHS faces new lawsuit: sue happy parents or probable cause? A s some may know due to the news on Facebook or the Daily News Newspaper, the school has had a lawsuit filed against them over inequality, and failure to perform and provide for its female athletes. For years, I have heard many girls complain about the poor conditions they have to deal with while their season begins. Usually, the typical "the boys field is so neat" while they're breaking their ankles in a greatly unkempt field. I think this lawsuit will open administration's eyes to the seriousness of the case. It's unfair how well the football team and baseball team is treated while the girls facilities can't even compare. Most people will say that it's silly and that parents are only suing because they're sue happy, but it's true; they have the right to sue the school. Especially when nothing ever gets taken care of. Perhaps, the threat hanging over the heads of the school board members will lead to a significant step up from the authority in taking action in, not just this sense of inequality, but the things we've been seeing the last couple months on campus as well. The administration has proven to be very lenient when it comes to punishing p e o p l e for acts of discrimination, so this doesn't n e c e s s a r i l y surprise me. However, it's awful that the school even has to be sued in the first place. A bad field can lead to so many injuries, and you'd think that the school wouldn't want anyone injured in the first place. The act of "inequality" as people would state doesn't seem completely intentional, but the school needs to start putting forth an effort into both branches. Female athletes matter too, and it's good this is finally getting resolved. I n today's day and age, social media is all the rage. But I'm not just talking about platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Snapchat, but also simple text messages. No matter where you are, something can be said or shared with thousands of people in a matter of seconds. This is an exciting idea, but it poses some substantial drawbacks when used negatively. This is Students support teacher campus CCWs Social media creates a platform for kids to lash T he debate for whether teachers should be allowed to carry guns at school became an issue to discuss when an increase in school shootings occurred. Some people, including myself declared it necessary as long as the teacher is qualified to use a gun and is willing to use it for the protection of his/her students and themselves. However, others believe that it is unnecessary for teachers to carry one because it can open more areas for injuries as well as provide less time for them to hide students and barricade doors. Although barricades to prevent the intruder from entering a building is key, most schools have already set up locks on doors so that they only can be opened from the inside which reduces the need for teachers to go outside and risk themselves. Even with blocks, if an intruder is able to get through it the teacher will still need a plan B and be quicker than the attacker. In order to dismiss the complaint that students might be able to get a hold of the teacher's weapon, it would be unlikely for it to happen if the teacher is qualified and responsible with a concealed weapon. Many lives can be saved if teachers carry a concealed weapon; with the help of the teachers, it's an obvious answer that schools will be prepared against any violence. Stall doors needed for privacy P rivacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves, or information about themselves, and thereby express themselves selectively. The boundaries and content of what is considered private differ among cultures and individuals. At Red Bluff High School a constant breach of privacy exists; however, it is not where you would expect. The privacy is breached in the men's locker room by the absence of stall doors in the restroom area. There are multiple rumors as why the stall doors have been removed in most schools across the united states. The rumors consist of taking the doors down to minimize the amount a vandalism on school campus, to prevent sexual harassment or encounters and to prevent drugs being used on campus. Nonetheless, vandalism on the stall doors can be cleaned by numerous ways; students that attend the school can volunteer to clean our bathrooms, or as a form of discipline can be obligated to perform the task. Sexual harassment, sexual encounters and the abuse of drugs can all be prevented in at others creating consequences for them at school one simple act by the school. More campus security of both genders would help solidify the enforcement of the rules. Stall doors are needed in all high schools throughout the nation. in no way a piece of writing meant to glorify public bashing of someone on the internet without consequence, but instead meant to highlight areas where students should be left to their own accord without school administration taking disciplinary action based on something they said in a text message or in a post on social media. The only time this idea seems appropriate is when statements that are made have a direct impact on school functions, or is considered outright bullying of another student. Otherwise, social media should remain a platform where users are allowed to state their ideas and opinions freely without fear of disciplinary action. After all, these are their beliefs and users have a right to state them as they please as long as it is not in a malicious way. However, the lines become blurry when it comes to remarks made in text messages. I know all too well the remarks that can be made over a text message during simple conversation or a heated argument. In most cases, the statements being made are being shared between two parties. In this instance, the school should have little to no say over what a student says. Instead, any disciplinary actions should be left up to the student's parents. After all, we are high schoolers transitioning into a phase of life where there won't be any principals, teachers, or parents will be there to mitigate our personal arguments with others. At some point we to take Noah Caylor Staff Writer "However, it's awful the school even has to be sued in the first place." responsibility for ourselves and not rely on the power of a superior to enforce rules upon people we have issues with. Guest Writers Kayla Moore