Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Jason Riley writes that the worst thing that could happen as a result of the Parkland shooting is a dominating federal mandate that treats all schools and communities as the same. Towns and cities should develop the security measures necessary for them, and schools should have the ultimate say on whether or not a student with bad behavior may attend. He writes:
There are more than 14,000 public school districts across the U.S., and attitudes toward guns in schools vary widely. According to the Pew Research Center, only 16% of adults in the Northeast report owning a gun, versus 36% in the South, 32% in the Midwest and 31% in the West. How you feel about guns in general tends to inform how you feel about them in schools. Which is why school security ought to be a local matter, not some inevitably overreaching federal policy handed down from Washington and incapable of reflecting the country’s wide-ranging views on the best way to protect students and teachers.
If the Trump administration wants to strike a blow for school safety while the rest of Washington is talking about gun control, it could repeal the Obama -era policy that has pressured school officials to take race into account when suspending or expelling students. School officials were effectively told to show more racial balance in school discipline or face a federal civil-rights investigation, and the upshot has been fewer overall suspensions and more disruption in the classroom. The policy was implemented through a “guidance” letter sent to school districts in 2014 and could be revoked as easily. Nikolas Cruz is just the latest reminder that people who pose a threat to themselves and others don’t belong in our schools. They belong in jail or a mental hospital.
Read more here.
Even before a school or town develops a plan to keep your children safe, you can get them started at home. Read my piece on How to Help Your Child Before Tragedy Strikes at School. Use that as a starting point to begin conversations with your kids about how to stay safe, not just at school but in all aspects of their lives.
