Sad news came to us recently from Omaha, Nebraska, as a high school student shot two of his administrators after being suspended from school. As of this writing, the Assistant Principal had passed away as a result of injuries sustained in the attack. The Principal is still in serious condition. The student shot and killed himself after the attack, leaving his family, classmates, and school officials asking “why?”
A couple of days later, more terrible news…a gunman shot several people at a political “meet the public” event in Tucson, Arizona. Several people lost their lives, including a child. The shooter’s parents are heartbroken, telling people they had no idea that their child was capable of such a horrendous act of violence. However, reports are trickling in from classmates and teachers of the young perpetrator that they had concerns about him for years.
Administrators and teachers nationwide must be saying to themselves, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” All of us have had to face angry students and parents, and the thought has crossed our minds that they might take their anger out on us in a physical way. In the olden days, the worst-case scenario would be that a student or parent might punch a teacher or administrator. These days – unfortunately – disgruntled people are turning to guns to express their anger.
Where do we go from here? How can we prevent incidents like this from happening again in the future? If you ask fifty people, you will get fifty solutions. Should we allow school administrators to carry firearms? Should we at least give school personnel bullet-proof vests? Is it a good idea to put metal detectors and armed guards at the front door of every school in the country? I am at a loss for words…and answers.
Maybe we should just accept the fact that risk is involved in being a school administrator or teacher…that being shot just “comes with the territory” of being a public servant. I don’t know if I am ready to make that kind of commitment. Unfortunately, it is starting to look like we don’t have a choice.