Too often we see television news about another school shooting. Is this the new normal? Why Colorado…again? If the
tragedies of Sandy Hook, Aurora, and Columbine
did not move legislators to make
it more difficult for those who have mental health issues to get access to guns,
what will work?
We grieve at a
distance for the shooting victims
with heartfelt sympathy and relief that
our own children are safe and far away. In the past twelve months, all of this became too close to home
for our family.
The shooting at Arapahoe High in Centennial last Friday shook our family for the second time. Our
granddaughter, Heidi, is a junior there, but her mother had text me within an hour of the event she had
received word from her daughter, our
beloved granddaughter, that she was
safe. We now pray for the shooter’s emotional and physical victims.
The night before, we proud grandparents had attended
Arapahoe’s annual holiday concert in the school auditorium and we focused on Heidi, first chair cellist in the school
orchestra. How normal, so normal, it
seemed that night. The next day traumatized
us.
Our 11 year old grandson, Max, attending a school 15 minutes from Newtown’s
Sandy Hook exactly a year ago, huddled under his desk, locked down, in that tragic morning. Heidi and Max will
never look at life quite the same again.
School shootings have
become a part of school life…a new normal. Heidi’s
mother teaches elementary school in the
part of Jefferson County that feeds into Columbine, the template for disturbed
youth to carry out their anger/revenge fantasies.
Her school and others across the US constantly drill for dealing with such incidents and like all teachers, she is on the
front line with the awesome burden of protecting her students.
There is a pattern
nationwide.. Shooters were or had been students in the schools .
They were young adult males in a period of brain development when many mental health issues kick in. The schools were in
upper or middle income white suburban
neighborhoods. Over 62% of Colorado families with children dwell in suburbs vs 35%
nationally, so “why Colorado?” may be a matter of demographics . Perhaps sociologists can make more sense of this.
What works? Law
enforcement has learned from each
incident and it paid off in Arapahoe High Their response limited the carnage. Tactical training
for responders, in-school armed police,
student drills and teacher leadership worked. If the copy cats conclude this method of acting out will not be successful, perhaps the epidemic may fade. We can
hope.
Better mental health care is imperative. Economic barriers are being reduced. All health insurance must cover mental health treatment thanks to the Affordable Care Act requirements.
This year, the Colorado legislature approved Gov. John Hickenlooper’s proposal
that funds hot lines for concerned
families and individuals seeking help and resources, provides walk in clinics at
local venues, and a public
education campaign. Last week, $100 million in federal assistance was allocated
to mental health support programs. Parents are learning from media coverage to spot danger signs and the necessity of early
intervention. All of those measures will
help. None will keep our children and
grandchildren 100% safe, but if they
reduce deaths from shooter incidents, hooray.
Sources of demographic statistics: http://www.apacolorado.org/sites/default/files/131002%20APA%20CO%20Pres_Suburban%20Retrofit_Web.pdf
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