It’s not an if, it’s a when.

This year, there have been 152 incidents of gunfire on school grounds in the United States. 50 deaths. 122 injuries.

And what is the response?

At McCallum, it amounts to the locking of all outside doors, keeping classrooms closed at all times and the implementation of the Raptor app that connects all faculty in case of an emergency. 

These policies could save lives. But these policies don’t address the problem: how to stop a school shooting from happening. 

Will an active shooter be deterred by a locked door? Will students hiding under their desks be able to walk away from an incident?

There is a better solution. And it falls upon policy makers.

At the local level, districts invest time and money into training that prepares teachers in the event of an active shooter. In addition, they subject students to active shooter drills and provide campuses with resources like the Raptor app and signage with meaningless slogans. 

But this approach looks to cure the symptom, not the cause.

In four out of five school shootings at least one other person had knowledge of the attacker’s plan but failed to report it. With 93% of these attacks being planned in advance, it seems reasonable for districts to utilize some of the funds allocated toward training and drills to provide greater awareness to students about type of warning signs to look for.

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According to the American Psychology Association warning signs of violent behavior in teens can range from a history of vandalism or property damage to increased risk taking behavior.

And with some signs as simple as having been a victim of bullying, the behaviors may not be obvious to those who interact with the individual daily.

Here is where the state comes in.

Texas lawmakers can advocate to provide more substantial funding to schools specifically for use in SEL instruction that focuses on proactive responses to concerning behavior. 

Our generation has been defined by school shootings. 

Columbine. Parkland. Uvalde.  

While our parents had tornado drills, we’ve grown up to fear going to school. We’ve been taught to hide, to fight back and to plan escape routes in case of a tragedy. This is not the solution. 

The ever increasing amount of shootings brings not reform, but normalization. As the time between these events pass and school shootings become more and more part of our everyday reality, we become desensitized to the fact that 20 children under the age of 8 were gunned down and killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Connecticut almost 10 years ago. How have we not done more?

Thoughts and prayers are not enough.

Reactionary approaches are not enough.

Until policies begin to change, children will continue to die.

We, students, have done our part in advocating for change. Now, legislators must listen.