Children in prison…the phrase brings to mind wild and unruly teens with drug and alcohol related problems. Children who come from broken homes or have been failed by the system and left be bruised and battered by uncaring parents. As I drove by the local elementary school today, seeing the construction of the new 8' chain link fence, I realized that all children were in prison. The sight of this made me think back on my days of school.

My children attend the same schools I did as a child. I played on the same playground my youngest son plays on now. I am stunned to see the changes that have slowly crept there way into the lives of every school child. I remember (granted it has been a few years) playing on this playground without a care in the world. I don't know if this was the result of my age or that fact that I felt safe there.

By the time I had reached 4th grade, enthusiastic play had lead to a child running into the path of an oncoming vehicle. The injuries were minor, but for our protection, the first fence went up, the first link in the chain.

Promotion to Junior High brought about a bit more freedom. Students were allowed to go off campus for lunch. A local hamburger joint was kept in business by the school children alone. I spent many hours there that made me late for classes more than a few times. Freshman year saw changes begin to occur. The smoking rate and alcohol consumption rate among teens was rising to epidemic proportions. The schools doors were locked during the day to prevent anyone from sneaking a smoke between classes. Looking back at that, I wondered what would have happened if there had been a fire. How would 1200 students have exited through one set of doors by the main office. Off campus lunches were abolished. All this in order to protect us. Next to be affected was the student parking lot. Chains and locks were placed on the gate. This was prompted by a tragic event that cost the life of two students during school hours. The accident occurred in the curve right in front of the school. Horrified students watched, as two blanket covered bodies were loaded in the ambulance. One of the victims was a close friend of mine. The seat next to me would remain unoccupied the rest of the year. One more link had been added to the chain.

Eighteen years later, the elementary school my son attends is now totally fenced in. An abduction of a child by a non-custodial parent prompted the parent parking lot to be gated. In previous years, taking a forgotten lunch box to school or having a quick chat with a teacher was relatively easy. Following the tragic school shootings at Columbine High School, Paducah, Ky. and other schools across the country, security is now tighter than ever. There are no longer any areas in the schoolyard that are not fenced and locked. The side entrances are now locked from the inside. Much to my relief now, the children would be able to exit in the event of an emergency. The only entrance to the school after classes begin is now a glass -enclosed foyer. The simple task of dropping of a lunchbox or forgotten homework has become a major event. A parent must now show identification at the reception window, the contents examined before allowing it into the building and only then is the child called to pickup his lunch. No contact is allowed between the parent and child except for the wave and a kiss through a glass window.

This all reminds me of a visit to a prison. Until today I thought prisons were built to kept society safe from the scourge that inhabit them. I thought only "bad" people went to prison. Now I see that each day I send my children to prison. From the moment I put them on the school bus at 7:10 in the morning, until 3:17 in the afternoon when they arrive home, my children are in custody. We have put fences and metal detectors in our schools and have turned them into prisons. A prison built to keep them safe from society. I ask myself "What can I do?" The answer is simple. I can do nothing. Nothing except pray for their safe return each day and hope they never realize what I have today.