Another elementary school shooting

[jacksmomtobe]

Thank you for this.

My oldest two were babies during Sandy Hook so we were able to avoid discussing it but now they are in 5th,3rd,and K and I don't even know what to say but I also don't want them to hear about it first at school tomorrow.

My DD was in 1st grade and DS was in 3rd grade when Sandyhook happened. There were differing viewpoints from parents on telling their kids. DD found out from a classmate who had a sister who was much older during art class. The classmate had a lot of the info that she shared with her classmates wrong. At the time we were very close with a family who had cousins from Newtown that we had spent a lot of time with whenever they visited so that was very scary and hit close to home. I remember texting my friend when the news was first coming out to see if her brother’s kids were ok. They were but they were on lockdown at their school.

Our elementary school had a parent who was the head of child psychiatry at a local hospital and who was an expert on the effects of trauma on kids who spoke at a parent meeting regarding the event. There are two things that I will never forget that she said. The first was to listen to your child when they find out what has occurred. They likely will not be worried about what you think they should/would be worried about. Ask questions and listen to what their actual fears may be rather than projecting what you think they should be then address those actual fears. Second, it is important that particularly older elementary kids know that they should not be dealing with things on their own. Sometimes they think they are “big kids” and should thus be handling things on their own. In a situation like this it is important for them to know that you as an adult are there to help them. This lifts a bit of weight off their shoulders.

Sandyhook was unbelievable and something that hit close to home. It is incomprehensible that it did not results in changes and we continue to see the senseless killing of children in our schools almost 10 years late. We need stronger gun control and more mental health services for young adults.

[JustMe]

So sad. So scared. So mad.

[California]

It does not have to be like this, and the proof is in the fact that it is not like this in other countries. My DS’s school hosted exchange students from Spain pre-Covid. They were shocked and deeply disturbed by the shooter drills and a school lock down. They’d never experienced anything like it and couldn’t believe we live like this.

[dogmom]

Per reports:
Eve Mireles was a fourth grade teacher who died trying to protect her students.
Her husband is Ruben Ruiz who is a veteran detective and SWAT team member who worked as a police officer in the school district. He was part of an active shooter drill in March in the school. There were school officers present when this happened. There are reports the shooter had armor, that has not been confirmed. The shooter in the Buffalo grocery store shooting definitely had armor which protected him from the guard who shot him. The guard died.

We are willing to tolerate the murder of children in school and old people doing the food shopping.
Any talk of security precautions is just distracting from these deaths. Clearly the fire power (120 guns per 100 people and climbing) is to give a false sense of security. It will not protect your child or you when a shooter with body armor and the right kind of weapons shows up.

We as a country lack the will to change this.

[KrisM]

Absolutely awful. My kids have always gone to school with locked entrances; even the public schools in our old city had them and I am pretty sure the ones in our current district have them. I thought that would be standard by now. Something as simple as that could’ve prevented senseless tragedies like this one.


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Do they have metal detectors? Search bags on entrance every day? If not, anyone who is allowed to be there can just bring a gun inside. Locks and buzzers don't prevent that. Oxford MI had locked entrances, buzzers, an armed SRO. Kid brought a gun in his backpack and killed 4 students and shot 7 other people.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Do they have metal detectors? Search bags on entrance every day? If not, anyone who is allowed to be there can just bring a gun inside. Locks and buzzers don't prevent that. Oxford MI had locked entrances, buzzers, an armed SRO. Kid brought a gun in his backpack and killed 4 students and shot 7 other people.

The biggest loophole here is that the metal detectors get put away after hours. If you’re at school for an activity you can walk right in and stash something somewhere. They’ve upgraded a lot of building security and kids can’t get to lockers after hours (most of the time…a friendly custodian will usually let them through) but that’s only a small help.


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[KrisM]

The biggest loophole here is that the metal detectors get put away after hours. If you’re at school for an activity you can walk right in and stash something somewhere. They’ve upgraded a lot of building security and kids can’t get to lockers after hours (most of the time…a friendly custodian will usually let them through) but that’s only a small help.


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Yeah, that doesn't help, does it. I know our middle and high school locker areas are off limits after hours (locked doors/gates). We have bags checked for after hours events now. Last night for a band concert, instrument cases, purses, etc were all checked on our way inside. It's getting better, but if someone wants to bring something, I'm sure they could find a way.

[georgiegirl]

I’m disgusted. My oldest was in first grade when Sandy Hook happened (same age as the kids who were murdered), and I remember the discussion here about it. I didn’t tell her. Now my older two know about yesterday’s shooting (10th and 7th), but I haven’t told my youngest (2nd and on the spectrum.) He doesn’t need that added stress. Our school does not do active shooter drills because they worry about the shooter knowing their plan and traumatizing the kids. Older kids watch videos about what they are supposed to do and teachers are trained. Our doors are kind of locked, but the door to the office isn’t locked and no one is there to stop you if you go through the office and into the school.

No one needs an assault weapon. I’m very anti-gun. I’m disgusted by those in our country who care more about guns than people’s lives and those who deflect claim mental health is the primary cause. I’d be shocked if something actually changed. I have so many thoughts that aren’t appropriate to share here.


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[nfceagles]

What do we tell the kids? How about the truth? They already know it better than we do since they’ve grown up in this gun fetish culture. They aren’t blind and they aren’t dumb.

We hope they come home safe and sound, but if not we’ll build playgrounds to honor the sacrifice they made to keep gun rights extremists from being inconvenienced.

Anything else, any promises of safety, is a fairytale. We can tell them the truth or a fairytale.


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[AngB]

Do they have metal detectors? Search bags on entrance every day? If not, anyone who is allowed to be there can just bring a gun inside. Locks and buzzers don't prevent that. Oxford MI had locked entrances, buzzers, an armed SRO. Kid brought a gun in his backpack and killed 4 students and shot 7 other people.

I taught at an alternative school in a rough area (and that was rough 12 years ago, much worse now..) we did have metal detectors/wands and wanded in every single student, every time. I don't remember if we searched bags but probably. Even with that, I will never forget the day we had a kid bring a gun in his car and threatened another student in the parking lot (luckily he was "just" making a threat and didn't use it but still...)