Display by a central Texas HS student.
Violence against schools and students has been present in our country since the stirrings of the American Revolution at Pontiac’s Rebellion school massacre in 1764 when the schoolmaster and several students were murdered. However, the assault against school children and young adults has escalated since the Columbine massacre in 1999.
As an alumni of the University of Texas I am all too familiar with the 1966 UT Tower tragedy. For 96 minutes, Whitman shot at those within view below. A total of 14 souls killed and over 30 wounded. It wasn't something I thought about daily as I went from classes in the "Six-pack" (the six buildings south of the UT Tower) to other buildings on the northern side of the Forty Acres but it isn't a part of our history I forgot either.
The effects of Columbine on me I felt as a student. I remember the numerous bomb threats called in and the hours upon hours taken away from instruction as the school was cleared and inspected (not something I completely understood as a teenager). There were also continued reports across the country as other schools and districts were undergoing the same false alarms.
Then another one. Another tragedy. Another round of prayers being lifted up by politicians. A call from the left for gun law reforms as the right dug in their heels more and more that it wasn't the laws that were the issues. No action, just prayers and casting blame on both sides of the political spectrum.
As an educator, the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy in 2012 shook me to my core. I saw myself in those teachers who put themselves in harm's way to protect those young, precious, innocent children. Victoria Soto will forever be a name I will remember for her heroic actions to use her body as a shield for her students after they ran from their hiding places. I cried for days. I remember my students and I making paper snowflakes to send to Connecticut. I remember that we chose to focus on channeling all our emotions we couldn't place or process into a loving action. We were strangers 1,800 miles away and couldn't even begin to imagine what these people were truly going through but it felt as though we were right there mourning with them.
For my non-educator readers, if you ever wonder how or why a teacher calls their students "my kids" think of Sandy Hook. Students spend the majority of their day with us and through the highs and lows we become a family of sorts. I had one parent relate it to co-parenting.
In 2018 a new level of horror as the students of Stoneman Douglas HS in Parkland, Florida followed a typical safety protocol of evacuating their school because the fire alarms were activated. We all do it right? Who would have imagined that a fire evacuation would land you in the middle of another threat? Most school safety committees didn't. We still don't.
I remember in our district we went through CRASE (Civilian Response to Active Shooter) Training that fall and developed a safety committee to revamp and rewrite our safety protocols. I remember people being angry. Angry with having to do the training, and angry that there wasn’t an easy, single response. I also remember that some people wanted to write into our fire evacuation procedures to wait for an all clear or verification of a fire threat prior to evacuation. As a child of a firefighter, I know the value of every second when there is a fire threat. As an educator I know that we continue to see new levels of evil in these school shootings which we can never anticipate. What does one do? I firmly believe that we have to trust those processes set in place to protect us but we have to follow our instincts and pay attention. A plan and a practiced drill will only get you so far in an actual emergency.
School drills are important for muscle memory in the event of a crisis because that’s how you have trained your mind and body to react but being aware of your surroundings is essential. I have been trained from a young age to be consciously aware of who is around me and where the nearest exits are. I even have the habit of subconsciously looking for escape routes everywhere I go.
Twenty-three years after Columbine these depraved acts continue to plague our public schools. At this point the automatic chorus of "Horrified and Heartbroken..." and "You're in our thoughts and prayers..." by policymakers at all levels, including school boards and superintendents across our country, are not even an ounce of what we need so please just stop.
Our communities are filled with people praying and grieving but also people who are showing up to lend emotional support to survivors and their families. A response to tragedy. But educators and families are asking for a way to minimize or eliminate these events from happening. Policymakers need to get to work!
Can gun laws continue to be addressed, tightened and enforced? Absolutely yes. Are gun laws themselves the solitary answer to solve this societal issue? Absolutely not. What needs to be addressed are mental health issues and the stigma that people and families face. Organizations, like NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), already exist to provide support for families but also are actively working to end the stigma of mental health diagnoses in this country. To encourage people to seek support from their community instead of suffering alone. We need to work together to promote community organizations that do provide mental health services and support groups. But what are we currently seeing in schools? A reduction of funding for school counseling staff and resources.
For all of you reading this, I ask that you reach out to your elected officials and tell them what you want them to do to protect our most precious assets in this country, but the biggest ask I have is for you to advocate for counselors, including social workers and crisis counselors, in our schools.
For elected officials reading this, stop just praying for us. What our country needs most is for you to use your voice and position to make a difference. We need you to provide the resources necessary for recovery and prevention.
-Ms. B
If you’d like help with a script or template to send to your elected officials please comment below or email me.
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