The school year just started, and already, another mass shooting has occurred on a high school campus. This time, two students and two teachers were murdered and nine more were injured at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.
The most frustrating thing about this is how sure I am that this is not the last shooting we will see this year.
When Columbine happened, I was a teen in high school and it seemed so senseless then. I had no idea what a prolific problem this type of incident would become. I had no idea that this country would continue to let this happen over and over again without doing a single thing to make going to school safer.
The one thing students have today that we didn’t have back then is social media. Over the past few days, Apalachee High School students have been making diary-like videos talking about their experience being at school during the shooting.
These students are using their voices to spread awareness
“Am I going to be able to tell my parents that I love them?”
“I was in the hallway and he was right there next to me.”
“If he wanted to run the other way after he shot those two teachers and two students, I was next.”
“I’m just angry and there needs to be some justice.”
“Somebody just started banging on the door.”
“I turned to my left and I see this guy holding a gun.”
Teachers shouldn’t have to go through this either
This student thanks her teachers for protecting her.
“If you’re in a school shooting, make sure that you have lollipops.”
What people should know about working with kids is how hyper-aware you become of your surroundings. You begin to notice where all the exits are, all the places to hide, all the corners where you should never get stuck because you’ll never make it out. When something like this happens anywhere to anyone, it sends a chill down your spine because you constantly think about what would happen if something like this occurred where you work and you were the adult in the room. It’s terrifying because despite being told you are only responsible for getting yourself out alive, anyone who works with kids knows exactly what they would do to protect them.
Isn’t it enough already?
These are just a handful of witness accounts of what happened at Apalachee High School. There are more videos like this with students telling their stories, expressing their fears, and leaning on each other. There are other videos that were filmed at the time of the shooting with kids crying in the dark, comforting each other. We’ll spare you those, but this is heartbreaking and we shouldn’t have to keep doing this.
Here are some numbers to be aware of:
• There have been 385 mass shootings in the U.S. so far in 2024.
• So far this year, there have been 139 incidents of gunfire on school grounds.
• From 2000 – 2022, there were 328 casualties in active shooter incidents in primary and secondary school settings.
• Since 2020, the number of school shooting incidents has increased by 200%.
• There are 535 adults who can take action to make students safer and have not done so.
• There are 468 congressional seats up for grabs in the 2024 election.
We have two months to figure out who plans to do something to combat this issue. It’s imperative that we get those people elected in November, and show these kids that this isn’t a hopeless situation.
Published: Sep 7, 2024 06:15 am