Im on a high school campus working with my color guard team when we hear the first shot. "Code red, this is not a drill" comes from the speakers on campus. Panic starts to rise as I can see the scared looks on each of my students. We practice outside, so we are sitting ducks to anyone walking around campus. I think for a second. The girl's bathroom is the closest to us has a deadbolt and cement walls; that would be out safest option. We all head for safety and huddle in the corner waiting for help to arrive. This senecio plays over in my mind every time I step onto campus for rehearsal. Where is my closest and safest option? How will I protect my students? Did I pay enough attention to know that none of my students are the ones doing the shooting? These are tough questions but it's a situation that teachers and students face every time they go to school.
School shootings are a tragic reality in our society today. Within the year 2024 there was eighty-three school shootings, thirty-eight resulting deaths, and one hundred sixteen injured in the incidents (Matthews et al). This is not an issue that will go away on its own. In fact since from 1970 to 2022 the annual number of school shootings increased more than 12 times (American College). With the numbers of shootings rising, the death toll for children on school campus is rising right along with it. This is an issue that is effecting the nation as a whole. This paper is here to give an understanding to the history, reasons behind, and solutions to this on going problem. Most school shootings can be prevented if we as society learn to look for signs and listen to the children. It boils down too, paying more attention to our children can drastically change the future of school shootings.
The tragedy of school shootings is nothing new to the United States. In fact the one of the first recordings of one was in 1853 at a school in Louisville. As written about in a Washington Post article by Brad Ricca a teacher had beaten a student with "5 or 6 licks with a leather strap" because the student had been eating in class. The older brother of the student was upset and showed up to the school, exchanged angry words, and shot the teacher during class. (Ricca). With this first recorded incident, it started a steady incline of school shootings over the next century; to look more at the shootings that this research paper focuses on though, we can look at the most remembered, Columbine. On April 20th, 1999 two students walked on to school campus and shot twelve students, one teacher, and injured twenty others before turning the gun on themselves (Guzman). This shooting changed the trajectory of gun laws and safety in schools. Unfortunately, that tragedy was not enough to put a stop to problem though. In a report written by Aliza Vigderman and Gabe Turner (both who have written articles and collected data for multiple well know respected news outlets/companies) President Joe Biden stated that there has been over 400 school shootings since Columbine leaving over 370,000 students exposed to gun violence (Vigderman). The most recent event being a school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin where two sustained life threatening injuries and four minor injures (Tsui et al). This shooting is still being investigated for motive and connections to other shootings that happened in December of 2024 according to the article put out by CNN reporters.
With so many different shootings we need to look at the definitions put out on what a school shooting actually is. In an article written by Education Week they quoted House Representative Lucy McBath saying "There is not currently a federal definition for a 'school shooting,' yet far." They also also pull from The School Safety and Preparedness Act that we currently define school shootings as "in, or on the grounds of, a school, even if before or after school hours; while the victim was traveling to or from a regular session at school; or while the victim was attending or traveling to or from an official school-sponsored event" (Bald). By these two different quotes we can see that just saying a school shooting can mean multiple different things. So, for this research paper I want to be clear on which type we are talking about; and give a siplified definition. For this paper we will be looking at shootings where student or students came onto campus during the school day, with a fire arm intending to kill one or more staff or students.
Now knowing the type of school shootings, we can take a look at one of the most asked questions surrounding these horrific events. Why? These acts are not something random or unplanned; its actual quite the opposite. Almost all school schoolers talked about guns or violent acts they planned on committing with one or more people multiple times. On the Sandy Hook Promise website they state that, at least one other person knows about the attack 4 out of 5 times (17 Facts). And most people who know rather fail to report it or nothing is done about it after it is reported. In an article where Billy Dedman, a long time investigative journalist for the Chicago Sun-Times, shared information from an analysis done by the Secret Service about 37 school shootings he talks all about the whys. One part being the perfect example of student not reporting the shootings. He quotes a student, a friend of one of the shooters saying "I was his friend. Calling someone would have been a betrayal. It just didn't seem right to tell." Another example he gives in the articles is when an english teacher raised concerns for the writings of a student, informing the school board. The school board responded to her by telling her it was the responsibility of his family to get him help (Dedman). Most of these shooters were victims of bullying or abuse, rather that be from school or their home life. In a ted talk called "I Was Almost a School Shooter" Aaron Stark talks about how the kids at school were cruel and bullied him daily. Unfortunately, the pain didn't stop there, and at home he also experienced endless abuse from his parents. Stark talks about how he just wanted to cause pain and as much damage as he could (Stark).
Along with the plethora of possible mental health contributors these students are also faced with societal influences of violence. We see today, more than ever, violence within tv/movies, music, video games, and social media. There have been many studies on both sides wether paying violent video games makes kids more or less violent. The American Psychological Association has researched and talked about how the violence that kids see might not be causing them to be more violent; but does desensitize them to it (American Phychological). When we add all these factors together its not hard to see the why. The only thing left for these students to do is obtain a weapon. And while there are gun laws that are constantly getting debated and becoming stricter most shooters obtain a legal firearm through their own house. Patrick Carter, a professor and emergency medicine doctor, researched and wrote an article stating that around 74% of the students obtained the firearm from their home or that of a relative or friend (Carter).
These shootings have a massive impact on not only the students and teachers involved but on the community and the nation as a whole. The immediate effect is the biggest on the victims on the school campus. There is the obvious of physical pain, bullet wounds or getting stepped on/trampled as students run to find cover. But there is also a major phycological affect as well. The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia did a study and wrote that those who witness a school shooting suffer from PTSD. And some of their impairments cause academic achievements to decline, as well as their social and emotional growth (Children's). In another article posted in a new outlet in Tennessee they talk about a nine year old girl who, after the shooting, sat up every night checking the exits to her house, finding hiding places in preparation, and watching every car that passed just in case of something happening (Gluck). Other than the victims on campus, there are the families of the students, and one that not many think of is the shooter's family. In a ted talk by the mother of one of the Columbine shooters, Sue Klebold, she talks about her experience in the after math of the shooting. She tells us how people treated her with hostility; and about the guilt she feels knowing what her son did. She talks about pouring over every aspect she could, to find where she went wrong as a mother; or if she would have prevented it (Klebold). Along with the immediate victims the communities suffer as well. It is estimated that $248 extra per student is spent after a shooting; mostly going to student support services and capital projects (DiConsigilo). Enrollment also drops and continues to drop for the next ten years, as found in a study of fifty shootings by Dr. Yang, an assistant professor of education at Pennsylvania State University (DiConsigilo).
Not only are there short term effects, but most of the victims end up with long term ones as well. It's well known that PTSD is not something that is just gotten rid of; but rather is apart of you forever. We learn through therapy and council how to handle or prevent it from running out lives, but it will always be there. And in some cases the pain, rather physical or mental, leads to searching for other ways out. And more often than not that way is through medications. Austin Eubanks, a survivor of the Columbine shooting, talks about his experience of pain both short and long term. He tells the audience in his Ted Talk after being shot he was put on medications and soon after became addicted to prescription pills. Eubanks asks the audience, what if they were offered immediate relief to feeling better? And talks of how opioids are "profoundly more effective at relieving the symptoms of emotional pain than they are at relieving the symptoms of physical pain" (What Surviving 00:05:34-00:05:43). While individuals deal with long term effects like addiction, trauma, etc. that country deals with it politically. With school shootings also comes more talks and debates on gun control and how to fix the school shooting problem with it.
The number of shootings would not be rising though if the solutions that we currently have were working. Other than gun laws, schools have started implementing active shooter drills. These drills are designed to be practice and prepare the students and staff for if there is an active shooter on campus. As shown in a video on CBS Morning news we get to go inside a 4th grade classroom to see what actually happens during these drills. We see the children help the teacher barricade the door with tables and chairs and then sit quietly along the wall as their teacher reassures them that she will keep them safe. They are told to arm themselves with something, rather that be a pencil, book, or anything else they have (CBS). And while the kids and parents talk about this being a good and helpful thing, there is evidence to the contrary. In a study conducted by Everytown Research and Policy it showed increases in depression by 39%, anxiety by 42%, and physiological health problems by 23% in children from five through to high school, as well as parents and teachers. And in the ninety days to follow a 22% increase in concern of death; filling social media posts with things about blood and pain (Everytown). The drills show that the kids know what to do if an attack does happen; but the study leave the question on if the mental health impact is worth it.
Another safety precaution schools implemented was the use of law enforcement on school grounds. These law enforcement personnel are known as SROs (school resource officer). According to NASRO website they are carefully selected, specially trained in school-based enforcement/crisis intervention, and "properly equipped" sworn officers. The website also states that they are there to provide a safe learning environment and to make connections or relationships with the students (National). But in a study done by a nonprofit and nonpartisan group called Brookings, they found that having SROs on campus can do more harm than good. The research shows that while having the officers does decrease the amount of violence offenses, it increase the amount and severe of discipline. Schools with SROs show an increase of 62% out of school suspensions and a 90% increase in expulsions. (Sorensen). Many think that officers on school campuses led to what has been deemed a school-to-prison pipeline. As Mary Flannery explains in her article for the National Education Association, with the zero tolerance policy and relying on SROs rather than teachers more kids are spending time out of school, pushing them towards the juvenile and criminal justice system (Flannery). People have started to argue that SROs might be overstepping and when it comes to deciding punishments for the student on campus.
So what do we do if the number of school shootings keep rising and our safety precautions aren't helping as much as we want them to? There are some short term solutions like education on gun safety, more training for our on campus officers, and a bigger emphasis on mental health that should be implemented. While guns are are a sensitive subject, especially when it comes to children, there may be benefits in have gun safety education in schools. Being from a household that owns firearms I learned as a child that guns are not toys, they come with heavy consequences that are not reversible. Cecilia Obeng wrote about a survey that showed in a group of 150 teachers 62% were in favor of having a gun safety class in schools (Obeng). Another area of better education would fall on the law enforcement on school campus. As stated by the Brooking article there should be a clear rules on when to involve SROs in student issues (Sorensen). The educators should be the ones handling the small disciplinary acts, and let officers be involved if there is a physical safety risk. Hopefully leading to better relationships between the officers and students; and less students out of school.
The biggest solution though lies in mental health. In the article written by Dedman there are multiple quotes from the shooters themselves being asked what would have happened if someone asked them about their plans or checked in on them. Most of the answer were along the same lines, if someone would have asked or cared enough to pay attention to them they probably wouldn't have followed through with their plans (Dedman). Sometimes simple acts of talking to a person can pull them out of their need to hurt others. For example, in the Ted talk by Aaron Stark he tells the audience that he had a plan and had obtained a firearm, but canceled his plans on account of a friend. Stark states it was "the simple acts of kindness" and "treating him like a human" that changed the trajectory of his life (Stark). Unfortunately we can't rely on the students to always be there for their classmates, so in short term it falls upon the school administration. In one way that should be an immediate fix is the school administration following up on students, who teachers have reported on. In the articles by Dedman he has a quote, from the former agent of the Service's threat assessment center, about how it is more comforting to think that the student doing the shooting just snapped. And that it puts the burden on the adults if we have to look at the path that lead to the shooting (Dedman). School administrators should be held accountable if they fail to investigate and help a student who is reported for signs of violence. But, to know what to look for and how to report it, there needs to be more education. Teachers should have more training on seeing and reporting signs of potential violence; and students should be scheduled to see school phycologist rather there is suspicion or not. Currently the Federal Bureau of Labor and Statistics estimate the cost to adequately staff the school with phycologists is between $2.7 to $4.9 billion (Griffith). While that is not a small number the mental health crisis in children to teens is constantly rising and we already seeing the affects as we watch school shooting rise with it.
As for long term solutions mental health is still at the top but, there are a few other resources as well. It is easier to educate teachers, due to the fact that they willingly went into the field and want to help grow the students, but educating parents and potentially holding them accountable is more of a long term solution. Parents are with students more than teachers and should be consistently checking in on there mental health as well as making sure they do not have access to firearms on a daily basis. It could be argued that parents should be held partially accountable for their child taking a firearm to school and hurting others. In a recent court case two parents were both found guilty and sentenced 10-15 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter after not interfering when their son, not only told them his plans, but acquired the firearm from their house before going to school and killing four students (Guevara et al.). Charging parents is a tough area to determine, but should be considered in all cases.
There is not a true end to the ways that we can pay attention and help prevent when it come to mental health, so looking into physical safety precautions is also a long term solution. There are companies that make bullet proof panels specifically designed for schools. One of those companies is called Armorcore. Their panels are made of fiberglass and thermoset polyester resin that go underneath the drywall to catch any bullets launched at the classrooms (Sachin). There is no information on there site of cost but, while talking to one of their customer service representatives, Lacy White, I learned that most schools who utilize them, mostly fortify the entrances and reception areas; both within the walls and with bullet proof glass. One other defense I found, that is still in the trail phases, was shown on USA Today. It is a bulletproof safe room that according to the news outlet video can be deployed from the corner of a classroom in under ten seconds. They also have already deployed rooms that can be mounted in a classroom as well (USA Today).
To many students have been affected by the tragedy of school shootings. And there are some that will never get back the life they once dreamed of having. We've seen that this issue is not new, dating as far back as 1853 (Ricca). The why behind school shootings from bullying/abuse to heart break, or not having someone to pay attention to them (Dedman). We've discussed the short and long term effects and how solutions, currently in place, are not working like they should. The need to be on top of protecting out children and continuing to grow and evolve as they do is bigger now than ever. There will never be a perfect solution to the problem, simply due to the fact that we are dealing with human beings. And a sad realization, is that there will always be someone who just wants to do harm and hurt others. But I do believe that we can drastically reduce the number of student being killed by other students if we just start to pay better attention. Wether you are a teacher, parent, or just someone who has an opportunity to interact with the kids of today, you should be kind and caring. Paying attention and reporting if you see anything that could be a precursor to violent behavior. Most of the students I have had the opportunity to coach just wanted someone to listen and accept that their feelings are valid. Overall it boils down to one main factor, caring enough about the children to pay attention.
School shootings are a tragic reality in our society today. Within the year 2024 there was eighty-three school shootings, thirty-eight resulting deaths, and one hundred sixteen injured in the incidents (Matthews et al). This is not an issue that will go away on its own. In fact since from 1970 to 2022 the annual number of school shootings increased more than 12 times (American College). With the numbers of shootings rising, the death toll for children on school campus is rising right along with it. This is an issue that is effecting the nation as a whole. This paper is here to give an understanding to the history, reasons behind, and solutions to this on going problem. Most school shootings can be prevented if we as society learn to look for signs and listen to the children. It boils down too, paying more attention to our children can drastically change the future of school shootings.
The tragedy of school shootings is nothing new to the United States. In fact the one of the first recordings of one was in 1853 at a school in Louisville. As written about in a Washington Post article by Brad Ricca a teacher had beaten a student with "5 or 6 licks with a leather strap" because the student had been eating in class. The older brother of the student was upset and showed up to the school, exchanged angry words, and shot the teacher during class. (Ricca). With this first recorded incident, it started a steady incline of school shootings over the next century; to look more at the shootings that this research paper focuses on though, we can look at the most remembered, Columbine. On April 20th, 1999 two students walked on to school campus and shot twelve students, one teacher, and injured twenty others before turning the gun on themselves (Guzman). This shooting changed the trajectory of gun laws and safety in schools. Unfortunately, that tragedy was not enough to put a stop to problem though. In a report written by Aliza Vigderman and Gabe Turner (both who have written articles and collected data for multiple well know respected news outlets/companies) President Joe Biden stated that there has been over 400 school shootings since Columbine leaving over 370,000 students exposed to gun violence (Vigderman). The most recent event being a school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin where two sustained life threatening injuries and four minor injures (Tsui et al). This shooting is still being investigated for motive and connections to other shootings that happened in December of 2024 according to the article put out by CNN reporters.
With so many different shootings we need to look at the definitions put out on what a school shooting actually is. In an article written by Education Week they quoted House Representative Lucy McBath saying "There is not currently a federal definition for a 'school shooting,' yet far." They also also pull from The School Safety and Preparedness Act that we currently define school shootings as "in, or on the grounds of, a school, even if before or after school hours; while the victim was traveling to or from a regular session at school; or while the victim was attending or traveling to or from an official school-sponsored event" (Bald). By these two different quotes we can see that just saying a school shooting can mean multiple different things. So, for this research paper I want to be clear on which type we are talking about; and give a siplified definition. For this paper we will be looking at shootings where student or students came onto campus during the school day, with a fire arm intending to kill one or more staff or students.
Now knowing the type of school shootings, we can take a look at one of the most asked questions surrounding these horrific events. Why? These acts are not something random or unplanned; its actual quite the opposite. Almost all school schoolers talked about guns or violent acts they planned on committing with one or more people multiple times. On the Sandy Hook Promise website they state that, at least one other person knows about the attack 4 out of 5 times (17 Facts). And most people who know rather fail to report it or nothing is done about it after it is reported. In an article where Billy Dedman, a long time investigative journalist for the Chicago Sun-Times, shared information from an analysis done by the Secret Service about 37 school shootings he talks all about the whys. One part being the perfect example of student not reporting the shootings. He quotes a student, a friend of one of the shooters saying "I was his friend. Calling someone would have been a betrayal. It just didn't seem right to tell." Another example he gives in the articles is when an english teacher raised concerns for the writings of a student, informing the school board. The school board responded to her by telling her it was the responsibility of his family to get him help (Dedman). Most of these shooters were victims of bullying or abuse, rather that be from school or their home life. In a ted talk called "I Was Almost a School Shooter" Aaron Stark talks about how the kids at school were cruel and bullied him daily. Unfortunately, the pain didn't stop there, and at home he also experienced endless abuse from his parents. Stark talks about how he just wanted to cause pain and as much damage as he could (Stark).
Along with the plethora of possible mental health contributors these students are also faced with societal influences of violence. We see today, more than ever, violence within tv/movies, music, video games, and social media. There have been many studies on both sides wether paying violent video games makes kids more or less violent. The American Psychological Association has researched and talked about how the violence that kids see might not be causing them to be more violent; but does desensitize them to it (American Phychological). When we add all these factors together its not hard to see the why. The only thing left for these students to do is obtain a weapon. And while there are gun laws that are constantly getting debated and becoming stricter most shooters obtain a legal firearm through their own house. Patrick Carter, a professor and emergency medicine doctor, researched and wrote an article stating that around 74% of the students obtained the firearm from their home or that of a relative or friend (Carter).
These shootings have a massive impact on not only the students and teachers involved but on the community and the nation as a whole. The immediate effect is the biggest on the victims on the school campus. There is the obvious of physical pain, bullet wounds or getting stepped on/trampled as students run to find cover. But there is also a major phycological affect as well. The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia did a study and wrote that those who witness a school shooting suffer from PTSD. And some of their impairments cause academic achievements to decline, as well as their social and emotional growth (Children's). In another article posted in a new outlet in Tennessee they talk about a nine year old girl who, after the shooting, sat up every night checking the exits to her house, finding hiding places in preparation, and watching every car that passed just in case of something happening (Gluck). Other than the victims on campus, there are the families of the students, and one that not many think of is the shooter's family. In a ted talk by the mother of one of the Columbine shooters, Sue Klebold, she talks about her experience in the after math of the shooting. She tells us how people treated her with hostility; and about the guilt she feels knowing what her son did. She talks about pouring over every aspect she could, to find where she went wrong as a mother; or if she would have prevented it (Klebold). Along with the immediate victims the communities suffer as well. It is estimated that $248 extra per student is spent after a shooting; mostly going to student support services and capital projects (DiConsigilo). Enrollment also drops and continues to drop for the next ten years, as found in a study of fifty shootings by Dr. Yang, an assistant professor of education at Pennsylvania State University (DiConsigilo).
Not only are there short term effects, but most of the victims end up with long term ones as well. It's well known that PTSD is not something that is just gotten rid of; but rather is apart of you forever. We learn through therapy and council how to handle or prevent it from running out lives, but it will always be there. And in some cases the pain, rather physical or mental, leads to searching for other ways out. And more often than not that way is through medications. Austin Eubanks, a survivor of the Columbine shooting, talks about his experience of pain both short and long term. He tells the audience in his Ted Talk after being shot he was put on medications and soon after became addicted to prescription pills. Eubanks asks the audience, what if they were offered immediate relief to feeling better? And talks of how opioids are "profoundly more effective at relieving the symptoms of emotional pain than they are at relieving the symptoms of physical pain" (What Surviving 00:05:34-00:05:43). While individuals deal with long term effects like addiction, trauma, etc. that country deals with it politically. With school shootings also comes more talks and debates on gun control and how to fix the school shooting problem with it.
The number of shootings would not be rising though if the solutions that we currently have were working. Other than gun laws, schools have started implementing active shooter drills. These drills are designed to be practice and prepare the students and staff for if there is an active shooter on campus. As shown in a video on CBS Morning news we get to go inside a 4th grade classroom to see what actually happens during these drills. We see the children help the teacher barricade the door with tables and chairs and then sit quietly along the wall as their teacher reassures them that she will keep them safe. They are told to arm themselves with something, rather that be a pencil, book, or anything else they have (CBS). And while the kids and parents talk about this being a good and helpful thing, there is evidence to the contrary. In a study conducted by Everytown Research and Policy it showed increases in depression by 39%, anxiety by 42%, and physiological health problems by 23% in children from five through to high school, as well as parents and teachers. And in the ninety days to follow a 22% increase in concern of death; filling social media posts with things about blood and pain (Everytown). The drills show that the kids know what to do if an attack does happen; but the study leave the question on if the mental health impact is worth it.
Another safety precaution schools implemented was the use of law enforcement on school grounds. These law enforcement personnel are known as SROs (school resource officer). According to NASRO website they are carefully selected, specially trained in school-based enforcement/crisis intervention, and "properly equipped" sworn officers. The website also states that they are there to provide a safe learning environment and to make connections or relationships with the students (National). But in a study done by a nonprofit and nonpartisan group called Brookings, they found that having SROs on campus can do more harm than good. The research shows that while having the officers does decrease the amount of violence offenses, it increase the amount and severe of discipline. Schools with SROs show an increase of 62% out of school suspensions and a 90% increase in expulsions. (Sorensen). Many think that officers on school campuses led to what has been deemed a school-to-prison pipeline. As Mary Flannery explains in her article for the National Education Association, with the zero tolerance policy and relying on SROs rather than teachers more kids are spending time out of school, pushing them towards the juvenile and criminal justice system (Flannery). People have started to argue that SROs might be overstepping and when it comes to deciding punishments for the student on campus.
So what do we do if the number of school shootings keep rising and our safety precautions aren't helping as much as we want them to? There are some short term solutions like education on gun safety, more training for our on campus officers, and a bigger emphasis on mental health that should be implemented. While guns are are a sensitive subject, especially when it comes to children, there may be benefits in have gun safety education in schools. Being from a household that owns firearms I learned as a child that guns are not toys, they come with heavy consequences that are not reversible. Cecilia Obeng wrote about a survey that showed in a group of 150 teachers 62% were in favor of having a gun safety class in schools (Obeng). Another area of better education would fall on the law enforcement on school campus. As stated by the Brooking article there should be a clear rules on when to involve SROs in student issues (Sorensen). The educators should be the ones handling the small disciplinary acts, and let officers be involved if there is a physical safety risk. Hopefully leading to better relationships between the officers and students; and less students out of school.
The biggest solution though lies in mental health. In the article written by Dedman there are multiple quotes from the shooters themselves being asked what would have happened if someone asked them about their plans or checked in on them. Most of the answer were along the same lines, if someone would have asked or cared enough to pay attention to them they probably wouldn't have followed through with their plans (Dedman). Sometimes simple acts of talking to a person can pull them out of their need to hurt others. For example, in the Ted talk by Aaron Stark he tells the audience that he had a plan and had obtained a firearm, but canceled his plans on account of a friend. Stark states it was "the simple acts of kindness" and "treating him like a human" that changed the trajectory of his life (Stark). Unfortunately we can't rely on the students to always be there for their classmates, so in short term it falls upon the school administration. In one way that should be an immediate fix is the school administration following up on students, who teachers have reported on. In the articles by Dedman he has a quote, from the former agent of the Service's threat assessment center, about how it is more comforting to think that the student doing the shooting just snapped. And that it puts the burden on the adults if we have to look at the path that lead to the shooting (Dedman). School administrators should be held accountable if they fail to investigate and help a student who is reported for signs of violence. But, to know what to look for and how to report it, there needs to be more education. Teachers should have more training on seeing and reporting signs of potential violence; and students should be scheduled to see school phycologist rather there is suspicion or not. Currently the Federal Bureau of Labor and Statistics estimate the cost to adequately staff the school with phycologists is between $2.7 to $4.9 billion (Griffith). While that is not a small number the mental health crisis in children to teens is constantly rising and we already seeing the affects as we watch school shooting rise with it.
As for long term solutions mental health is still at the top but, there are a few other resources as well. It is easier to educate teachers, due to the fact that they willingly went into the field and want to help grow the students, but educating parents and potentially holding them accountable is more of a long term solution. Parents are with students more than teachers and should be consistently checking in on there mental health as well as making sure they do not have access to firearms on a daily basis. It could be argued that parents should be held partially accountable for their child taking a firearm to school and hurting others. In a recent court case two parents were both found guilty and sentenced 10-15 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter after not interfering when their son, not only told them his plans, but acquired the firearm from their house before going to school and killing four students (Guevara et al.). Charging parents is a tough area to determine, but should be considered in all cases.
There is not a true end to the ways that we can pay attention and help prevent when it come to mental health, so looking into physical safety precautions is also a long term solution. There are companies that make bullet proof panels specifically designed for schools. One of those companies is called Armorcore. Their panels are made of fiberglass and thermoset polyester resin that go underneath the drywall to catch any bullets launched at the classrooms (Sachin). There is no information on there site of cost but, while talking to one of their customer service representatives, Lacy White, I learned that most schools who utilize them, mostly fortify the entrances and reception areas; both within the walls and with bullet proof glass. One other defense I found, that is still in the trail phases, was shown on USA Today. It is a bulletproof safe room that according to the news outlet video can be deployed from the corner of a classroom in under ten seconds. They also have already deployed rooms that can be mounted in a classroom as well (USA Today).
To many students have been affected by the tragedy of school shootings. And there are some that will never get back the life they once dreamed of having. We've seen that this issue is not new, dating as far back as 1853 (Ricca). The why behind school shootings from bullying/abuse to heart break, or not having someone to pay attention to them (Dedman). We've discussed the short and long term effects and how solutions, currently in place, are not working like they should. The need to be on top of protecting out children and continuing to grow and evolve as they do is bigger now than ever. There will never be a perfect solution to the problem, simply due to the fact that we are dealing with human beings. And a sad realization, is that there will always be someone who just wants to do harm and hurt others. But I do believe that we can drastically reduce the number of student being killed by other students if we just start to pay better attention. Wether you are a teacher, parent, or just someone who has an opportunity to interact with the kids of today, you should be kind and caring. Paying attention and reporting if you see anything that could be a precursor to violent behavior. Most of the students I have had the opportunity to coach just wanted someone to listen and accept that their feelings are valid. Overall it boils down to one main factor, caring enough about the children to pay attention.