With a new school year, comes the same old concerns. A prominent issue in schools around the country is the amount of shootings occurring recently. Though a current problem, school shootings are not just the latest news headline. The first ever school shooting was in 1764 in Greencastle, Pennsylvania killing ten people, these acts of terrorism haven’t stopped, but instead have only become more popular and normalized in our community.

 Due to the rising percentages of school shootings, preparedness is not only needed, but expected as well. All schools have their own lockdown drills in case of an active shooter in the building, you are to go to the closest classroom you can find, hide, and pray for your life. As of recently, teachers have made these drill formalities more prevalent in our day to day curriculum. 

Not only have school shootings affected the curriculum and drill procedures, they have also had a huge effect on our students’ and faculties’ mental health. Overall, 57% percent of students are afraid of a school shooting happening at their school. This fear can cause anxiety rates to rise to unnecessarily high amounts. Along with this, 6.7% of students skip school because of a fear of school shootings, leading to a high absentee rate. Both of these factors contribute to yet another reason students may not be learning in the classroom. 

When asked about how the recent school shootings have affected them, our students gave heartbreaking answers. Junior, Evelyn Saltz, said ¨To be completely honest, mass shootings have been so normalized in America that I have grown to accept the lockdown drills and hysteria. It’s an upsetting thought, but it’s true.. Guns are so easily accessible and sometimes security can only do so much. Overall, they have me being a lot more aware of my surroundings.¨ 

Another student, Baraa Kamal, said ¨… It’s been happening for years and each year we use it as a wake up call to be more adamant on laws like these and then each year nothing happens. Kids dying always and should affect the country…I think it makes us more aware of our surroundings and makes schools more prepared for possibly a similar event… ¨ 

When it comes to preventing a school shooting at our school, while some are unable to be prevented, the other can be prevented with kindness. 17% of school shooters were diagnosed with a mental disorder, while a whopping 78%  had a history of suicide attempts or suicide ideations. You can never know what a person is going through outside of school, what their homelife is like, or what their mental health is like. 

So before you make a rude comment or do something out of hate, think of what the repercussions of your action could be.