As a mother who talks to parents daily about public safety concerns, there is one
that equally shakes us all to our core and I’m sure you’ll agree: the thought of an
active shooter entering any of our school campuses. While the probability of a
horror like that taking place is low, the reality that it could happen and does
happen randomly and anywhere is one that keeps some parents, and students, up
at night. The recent shooting at Covenant School in Nashville was another
reminder of the fear we all share.
Recent Safety Statistics
Yes, school shootings are rare but it doesn’t feel that way for parents. And recent
numbers are concerning. According to the Washing Post’s tracker, there were
more school shootings in 2022, t than in any year since 1999.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/interactive/school-shootings-
database/
And regardless of the numbers, the trauma of having a school shooting land in
your school, of losing your own child or a spouse or parent who works at a
school… impacts massive amounts of people for years and years to come. I often
stop and think through these dreadful days and the moments around the
shooting. From the things that we couldn’t hear or feel like racing hearts and that
“fight or flight” panic, thoughts of facing death to desperately wanting to be with
a loved one, to the awful sounds of gun shots and screaming, the imprint and
lasting effects will be on the hearts and minds of all those involved for years and
years to come. In Nashville, that community lost three children and three staff
members. For those families, they face a “life-sentence” of loss and pain.
In running the largest public safety nonprofit in Houston and the largest Crime
Stoppers Safe School in the country, it is school violence at this level that still
stops me and breaks me down, every single time. And not just me, it’s a reality
that brings all of us to our knees in pain.
What are the Solutions
Like so many others, in the immediate aftermath we want answers and solutions.
Most will focus on the politics and a cycle of divide, target and try to conquer will
begin. History shows us that that cycle will last for about two weeks and everyone
will then quiet down and go on with their lives leaving leaving broken
communities, devoted parents and children still vulnerable to future attacks. At
Crime Stoppers of Houston we focus on solutions and do this 365 days a year.
When the mainstream community isn’t thinking about school safety, we still are.
When the mainstream community isn’t advocating for thwarting guns at school,
we still are. When the mainstream community isn’t questioning strategy or
thinking through solutions, we still are – each and every day, every day of the
year. And thankfully, we have come up with solutions.
Here are things we wish every parent and school community would make sure of:
Have an iron clad school safety plan
Make sure the schools have an active, well thought out and up-to-date active shooter plan. Once that plan is in place, make
sure all those necessary are trained.
Build schools with safety in mind
This means doors that truly lock and ways to limit ingress and egress. Systems that allow for quick alerts between school staff.
Secure access that makes it difficult for people to gain entry. If budgets allow, I’d
love to even see glass at entry points layered making it difficult to shoot through
and enter.
Update Records
Update school information and give those updated records to
everyone on the safety team. For instance, anyone who could be called upon in an
active shooter scenario must already have up-to-date blueprints of the schools.
This is critical. During a time when many schools have been renovated, pulling an
original plan that doesn’t reflect the changes in design can and will waste
valuable time.
Educate the parents
It’s a parents worst fear when it comes to school safety and
all will panic upon learning there’s an issue at their child’s school. Schools must
educate caretakers on how they’d respond to an attack at school including – how
they’ll alert the community, where parents need to go, and who / what office will
become the main point of communications. Parents, take the time to educate
yourself as well.
Have a family plan
Sadly, and this breaks my heart, but more and more children
are coming up with their own plans to deal with this horror. While you may have
never talked to your child directly about this, it’s time to start. You can begin this
way: Has your school ever done lock-down drills with you? What is it for? What
do they tell you to do and how do you feel about their instruction? If that should
ever happen at your school, and the chances are very, very small – how do you
think you’d handle it?
Make sure there’s a reporting platform for the safety of students in your school
CrimeStoppers of Houston has been in the schools since 1997, talking to kids about all
aspects of school safety. We offer them access to all our anonymous reporting
platforms (phone, App, website) and guess what – the students, who are often the
first line of intelligence – call us when they learn of another student bringing a
weapon to school. This model works and to date, Crime Stoppers of Houston has
removed over 280 weapons from Houston area schools before, before, before
they could ever be used against another student.
Community, we need your help
If you’re in a home with someone showing signs of distress, writing about violence or holding onto anger and your home is one
with weapons, please lock those weapons securely. Please, work to get those in
your family or community help when you see it’s needed. Be mindful that most
shooters show signs of their plan before they execute their plan – working
together diligently and aggressively, we might be able to stop the violence before
it takes place.
School shootings and violence in schools are issues that are so difficult to tackle
and the politics does not make it any easier but for the sake of our children, we
absolutely must find solutions. Join us as we continue to study and offer
solutions that work and that work right now. For the sake of my children and
yours, I promise to continue doing so, daily.
