Everyone remembers Columbine, the school shooting that started it all. In the 25 years following the shooting; there has been a steady increase of school shootings around the nation. Oftentimes, many of these shootings have received national coverage. In addition, the shootings have generated a new issue on gun safety, which has divided the nation. Many parents wonder how schools can ensure their children’s safety in the face of an emergency.
Recently, Gresham High School had a scare when a student brought a loaded gun to school. During the incident the school was not put into lockdown and it took several hours for the student with the gun to be turned over to police. Parents were also displeased with how the school worded the situation when they sent emails to them. The school’s response to the incident caused students to stage a walkout on Thursday, October 3rd. In the aftermath of the incident, Principal Erika Beddoe Whitlock resigned with her last day being this Friday, November 8th.
It should also be noted that Gresham hasn’t been the only one dealing with school shooting threats in Oregon as 6 other incidents of threats have been reported. Three of those threats targeted high schools while the other 3 targeted middle schools. High schools being targeted is unacceptable; but recent threats to middle schools being targeted is a new concerning trend. The mere thought that students are showing violent tendencies even earlier than high school is an issue that should be investigated.
Many tend to ignore the warning signs displayed by shooters. Examples of warning signs include suicidal tendencies, copy-cat behavior, fascination with school shootings and violence, and behavioral issues. Eric Harris, one of the Columbine shooters, had been investigated by police after having threatened to kill fellow student Brooks Brown on the internet; unfortunately no further action was taken. Kip Kinkel, the Thurston High School shooter once gave a speech about how to make bombs in class, which prompted the teacher to alert the school counselor. The counselor assured them it was okay as Kinkel’s father knew of all of Kip’s obsessions.
During a Portland Public School board meeting two students testified to the PBS board members. Their intention was to put forward a petition signed by approximately 250 students. The petition calls for five specific actions. The five actions consist of protecting student’s mental health and revising laws concerning gun safety. The board ultimately voted and approved their legislative agenda, minus the revisions to gun safety laws although they promised to work with local groups to “support efforts to reduce gun violence”.
There is no telling what will happen in the following years, however we as a community are taking the right steps to ensure student’s safety. The path to all this begins with students and schools cooperating with each other. Sure they seem like small steps now but they’ll be extremely beneficial in the long run.
