School Safety: Targeted Violence

Targeted Violence refers to violence that is premeditated and directed at specific individuals, groups, or locations. According to the Schoolsafety.gov website, targeted violence is "distinct from the violence that is impulsive, random, or spontaneous and is often distinguished by pre-attack behaviors that suggest violence as a possible outcome". The Sandyhookpromise. org website highlights the statistics of school shootings and targeted violence stating " In 4 out of 5 school shootings, at least one other person had knowledge of the attacker’s plan but failed to report it." The website also states, "In a comprehensive school shooting study, the Secret Service and Department of Education found that 93% of school shooters planned the attack." These alarming rates are so high, people need to understand we can help end school shootings when people see the signs and get the help. 

Yellow background image of a red cartoon pistol
and on top of the barrel of the pistol is a school
 building and a bench. 

Going into teaching has been a dream of mine since I was a child. School was a place of friendship, learning, caring teachers, and overall learning skills to help you grow up. Today, teachers and students now have to proceed to school with caution and fear. Tragic events have happened at all different stages of education. People never believe that school shootings and targeted violence will ever happen at their schools or directly affect them, but sadly for three of my close friends, it became reality. Two of my old teammates went to Saugus high school in Santa Clarita, California where a sixteen-year-old shot five people, killed two, and committed suicide. My best friend transferred to Michigan State this year and was on campus when a forty-three-year-old gunman shot and killed three students and injured five others, before committing suicide. Hearing all three friends recall the events of that day tears me up inside and knowing those children and humans were innocent bystanders in selfish and horrific acts. Another heartbreaking event was the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting. I was in fifth grade when I heard about it. I was in disbelief at the age of twelve, but now that I am going to be a teacher in a few years, it is unfathomable. The shooter killed twenty-six people, twenty of those victims were children between six and seven years old. I will never understand how a human being can look into the eyes of innocent children and murder them. It is a terrifying reality knowing that going into my career targeted violence is so prevalent and could affect me in my lifetime. If I have to, I would risk my life to protect my students but teaching should not have to be a life-or-death choice, and it has turned into that. I believe that gun restrictions should be tightened and become more difficult to obtain a weapon along with enforcing physical security measures to mitigate threats and reduce the amount of harm inflicted if incidents occur. We need to take drastic measures to protect our students and teachers before it's too late.