The Causes of School Shootings
Let's deal with the Causes of School Shootings
Another school shooting. This time near Atlanta, GA. We had one nearby in Parkland, FL – MJ Douglas H.S. about 7 years ago. Uvalde, Texas is still settling criminal charges against various personnel paid to protect school children who failed to do so, as in MJ Douglas HS. Seems the typical response these days.
When will we accept the fact that having schools set up like warehouses (or prisons) is strongly contributing to the problem of “crazies” who got their hands on a gun. When will we stop the knee-jerk response of calling for more Gun Control? The killers are usually males from fatherless homes with a disciplinary history. But that hardly narrows it down. The fact they were not identified years ago is a major fault in the warehousing system. At Douglas H.S. the students asked, “was it Nicholas Cruz?” prior to I.D. They knew - as he was a troubled student since elementary school.
The Parkland Massacre in Florida had 4,000 high school students under one roof. It would not be atypical for a high school teacher to walk past a student of theirs at the end of the school year and not even recognize him or her. When there may be 125 students per day assigned to any given secondary teacher, this is the routine.
Other school districts in other states deal with this issue of teachers not even recognizing - let alone knowing - their students by assigning a staff professional to be present during lunch period in the same classroom for the duration of the school year at elementary level. All children eat in their classrooms, not in cafeterias where out-of-control bedlam is the order of the lunch break.
Staff includes the physical educator, psychologist, nurse, reading specialist, speech teacher, etc. The staff member would still receive a free/unassigned period mid-day. They would be encouraged to eat lunch with their assigned class but not required. To eat with the students, demonstrating manners, use of napkin, proper disposal of waste, etc. The secondary benefit is that staff member functions as an advocate for any student who may be experiencing a misunderstanding or other issue with another staff member. Problems are identified and resolved by professionals as they arise. Not allowed to fester and multiply without resolution until fatal results in high schools.
The students thrive when they become aware that staff knows them and cares for them - even interceding and helping them solve problems.
Try it; you may like it!
Audrey Taggart
This is an editorial and not the official position of the Martin County Republican Executive Committee.