Tag Archives: school shootings

parenting

What are we teaching our children?

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This past Friday we all watched and listened in horror as the media reported the incomprehensible news about another school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut. It is every parent’s nightmare, every teacher’s fear, and every American’s frustration that our children are no longer safe (in school, at the mall, at a movie theater, or in any public place).

I refuse to focus on the shooter or even justify the reasons behind his decision to shoot innocent people without regard for human life. That, therein, lies the problem. These young men who feel the need to “clear a room” by taking out innocent people have obviously had some sort of disconnect from reality. To them, the lives are merely objects or targets in a game. At least, that’s my uneducated, purely inexperienced observation.

What can we, as parents and a nation, do to change the disconnect? How can we teach our children and young adults to value human life and stay grounded in reality? Do we feel helpless to change things and hopeless for the future of our children?

These are all questions every parent needs to ask today; and not just ask, but begin to make some positive effort to examine and find ways to change the parenting dynamic in our children’s lives. I know that my parents never feared for these things and I never feared for my children either. Until Columbine we all felt our children were safe at school. Now we even wonder if it’s safe to go to the movies or shopping at a mall.

Somehow we have to get back to the basics: morality, respect, love, kindness, and hands-on parenting. We have to make the time for our kids: teach them about the value of human life, help them learn to respect, love and be kind to one another, and not be afraid to get help if we see a potential problem arise. Listen, listen, listen to your children. Don’t just text; talk to them. Quite simply, don’t be lax in your parenting. It’s easy to turn on a movie, let them play video games, or spend hours on their computers in social media. It’s difficult in today’s fast-paced world to make the time–but it MUST be done. We MUST make a commitment, as parents and even grandparents, to teach our children the things they need to know to prevent that disconnect in the future.

We all hugged our kids last Friday and thanked God that they were safe. Those parents in Newton, Connecticut won’t get the chance to affect their children’s futures. A young man took that away;  but we can honor them and their children’s memories by making a conscious effort to teach this generation that life is valuable and that there is a difference between reality and fantasy.

Someone said this weekend that one way we can honor those innocent children is to do 20 acts of kindness this month. I like that positive reaction. We can’t change the past, but we can certainly impact the future.

My God bless and keep those precious little souls and may he bring comfort to their families during this difficult time.

 

campus security, parenting

School shootings–What’s a parent to do?

Police officers investigate the scene of a shooting near Texas A&M University on Monday in College Station, Texas

I just got a news update on my iPhone saying that police had shot and killed a gunman at Texas A&M University this afternoon. The details are sketchy right now but it made me think about the importance of campus alert systems and some of the questions parents need to ask during the selection process.

Texas A&M responded quickly:

Texas A&M issued a Code Maroon — the university’s emergency notification system — at 12:29 p.m. CT (1:29 p.m. ET), telling people to avoid the area where there was a report of an “active shooter.” The entire ordeal lasted around 15 minutes, with an 12:44 p.m. update also posted on the university’s website indicating the alleged gunman was by then “in custody.”

Every parent of college-bound teens should ask this question during the campus visit (preferably not in the presence of your student):

What systems do you have in place to protect my child in the event of an emergency such as the Virginia Tech shooting?

The American Council on Education published a list of questions school leaders should ask themsleves. Parents should expect answers to these questions when discussing this issue with campus security:

  1. Has the school done a full assessment of potential catastrophic risks, and does it have plans in place to address these risks?
  2. Does the school have an appropriate emergency team in place? Do team members regularly participate in emergency preparedness exercises?
  3. Does the school have multiple means to communicate with students, faculty, and visitors in the event of an immediate, ongoing emergency situation? Do plans exist to direct people to a safe location?
  4. What communication and coordination networks exist among campus security leadership, local law enforcement, political officials, first responders, and health officials, both on an ongoing basis and in case of emergency? Is there a specific integrated emergency response plan? Do all the agencies who might be involved in emergency run drills on campus to prepare?
  5. Is the training of campus security personnel appropriate to potential risks?

The president of Virginia Tech also mandated several internal reviews following the VT tragedy to evaluate the school’s existing emergency plan. The review committees’ recommendations included the following (things you should expect from your own school’s emergency plan):

  1. Classroom door locks that are modified.
  2. Video surveillance cameras, centrally located and monitored.
  3. Electronic key cards for controlled access to facilities.
  4. Mass communication outlets (e.g., phones and Internet access) within classrooms.
  5. Frequent emergency drills.
  6. Emergency response protocol with awareness education.
  7. Campus security committee and master plan.

Before sending your child off to college, do your homework. Make sure that if something bad does happen, the incident and the students get the attention they deserve. If you know the plan and have assurance that the college has implemented specific procedures to facilitate it, you will worry less and sleep better at night.

More on campus safety:

 6 Talking Points on Campus Safety

Prepping your college-bound student in campus safety