Pepper spray ban clarification leaves some students uneasy over safety concerns

Students hoping for a greater sense of personal security found a sense of protection from small, unassuming canisters of pepper spray easily slipped onto keychains or in handbags. However, a recent announcement by administrators revealed that student possession of pepper spray is in fact banned across the district because the device is classified as a weapon. Students found carrying pepper spray will now have the device confiscated and returned only at the end of the day or when a parent or guardian picks it up. They may also be subject to legal consequences.

Students violated this policy unintentionally, West Principal Rebecca Montour believes. Administrators discovered widespread student possession of pepper spray when they began doing bag searches at football games this year, suggesting that students did not know the substance is prohibited. 

“We noticed a lot of girls coming through with real little pepper sprays on their keychains,” she said. “We haven’t really had any issues with it here at school, but when we were noticing how many kids were carrying it, we were like, ‘Yeah, I bet they don’t know they can’t have it here’.”

While designed for self defense, the device creates the potential for chaotic and even harmful incidents to occur at school. This motivated administrators to clarify the policy and be more cognizant of its enforcement. 

“Whether somebody sees it and thinks, ‘Oh, it’d be funny if I sprayed this,’ or if it was an actual safety issue and someone took it out, we just don’t want to see anybody get hurt,” Montour said. 

Although student possession of pepper spray at school could present an opportunity for misuse with major consequences, some regarded the clarification of the ban as a reflection of the district’s lack of regard for student safety. Senior GJ Zahner found the announcement frustrating and ironic.

“I was justifiably shocked and upset to hear that the school district devalues our personal safety in such a way,” she said. “And then to hear the ban touted as a way to protect our personal safety just adds insult to injury.”

For other students, last month’s announcement marked their first time learning that their peers carried pepper spray within the building. For junior Veda Carlson, the announcement of the ban only led to confusion. 

“I feel like it’s kind of obvious that the school would classify it as a weapon,” she said. “I suppose the announcement of the ban left me a little shocked, not knowing that carrying pepper spray was something that students did.”

The ban is driven not only by district policy and safety concerns, but by state restrictions. Student resource officer Angel Nunez explains the legal consequences of carrying it.

“It’s actually Wisconsin state law that you have to be 18 years old or older to purchase and possess pepper spray,” he said. 

Carlson finds this statute logical given the potential harm that pepper spray could cause.

“I think 18 is a reasonable age to carry it because a legal adult would most likely be more responsible with it than, say, a 15-year-old,” she said.

At the same time, Carlson acknowledged that student safety concerns and desire for a sound means of self defense, which pepper spray could serve as if used appropriately, are well-founded. Zahner, who knows students who have reported being followed or threatened while at or near West’s campus, shares this position.

“There are people I know who carried pepper spray at school in case they had to use it at school, which I think is quite a valid reason,” she said. “There are unfortunately students who behave in very unsafe ways, and having a way to protect yourself is an important contribution to your feeling of safety.”

Because of their higher rates of victimization for crimes like assault, the ability to carry self defense devices like pepper spray is especially important to female students, whom administrators observed were more likely than male students to have pepper spray at school before the ban was explained. Carlson suggests that many female students consider their heightened vulnerability as they evaluate whether to carry it. This includes one of Carlson’s acquaintances who has in the past carried pepper spray to and from school but left it in their car during the day.

“My assumption as to why they started carrying it with them would probably be to keep them safe if anyone were to try to approach or attack them, as they are a female student and more prone to such things,” she said.

Zahner views the district’s prohibition of pepper spray as evidence of disregard for the risks faced regularly by students, especially female students.

“The banning of self defense tools will disproportionately affect the female demographic in that there will be a much higher risk of misconduct against them,” she said.

Administrators recognize the potential value that carrying pepper spray could have, and students who can legally possess the device have the option of developing a plan with the school to ensure they are able to keep it with them without violating the policy.

“I do understand if it’s like, ‘Hey, I have to walk home after school,’ or ‘I have to walk to work and I don’t have a vehicle to leave it in’,” Montour said. “I would say they could work with an administrator and just find a place to keep it in the office so they could still have access to it.”

Nunez points out that there are many precautions in place to ensure the safety of individuals in the community, especially around schools.

“Thankfully, the school has additional lighting outside of the building, which includes the post lighting out in the parking lot,” he said. “I know a lot of officers park in the skate park or student parking lots and write reports there, so we are visibly present but also a good deterrence for anything that happens after school.”

While carrying pepper spray offers a sense of security, there are other tools and strategies available to students who are concerned about confrontational or otherwise unsafe situations.

“I myself have an alarm that I bring with me whenever I go out alone that is super easy to pull and set off in case I ever were to need it,” Carlson said. 

Nunez notes that even simple behaviors like talking loudly or moving towards busier areas can provide protection in situations when students or others may feel unsafe.

“You can direct attention to yourself, and that deters anyone who’s wanting to hurt you or talk to you or give you unwanted attention,” he said.

Since the policy was clarified, administrators have seen a dramatic reduction in student pepper spray possession, and no active student opposition to the rule has been observed. 

“We haven’t seen them now, even at the football game bag searches,” Montour said. “I think most people just probably took them off the keychain when they came into the building.”

by Aria Boehler

Published November 4th, 2024

Oshkosh West Index Volume 121 Issue II