Opinion
School Climate & Safety Opinion

How Can We Honor the Victims of School Shootings? Listen to Students

On the ninth anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, a mother speaks out
By Nicole Hockley — December 13, 2021 3 min read
After a rally in front of the White House, students march up Pennsylvania Avenue toward Capitol Hill in Washington on March 14, 2018. Students walked out of school to protest gun violence in the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that has emerged in response to last month's massacre of 17 people at Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

At the start of this month, we experienced the most fatal school shooting since 2018, when four students were killed and eight wounded at Oxford High School in Michigan. Schools are seeing violence surpass prepandemic levels. There were more than 30 school shootings in 2021 alone, which have left dozens of children dead or injured. These figures don’t include the devastating ripple effects on entire communities that have been ripped apart, lives forever shattered, and parents left with a lifetime of agony.

Time may pass, but the wounds never heal. Next year will mark a decade since my own son, my beautiful butterfly Dylan, was gunned down in his 1st grade classroom. Since then, I’ve dedicated my life to finding ways to help keep children safe. Research shows that empowering students, listening to them and taking their concerns seriously, and teaching them the warning signs of someone who may be a danger to themselves or others are the keys to making schools safer. Starting the day before the shooting at Oxford High School, there were reports of concerning behavior by the alleged shooter. Tragically, those warning signs were not properly acted upon.

Some students say they’re more afraid of a school shooting than the pandemic, and district leaders nationwide are looking for answers. Policymakers and educators are eager to find solutions to school shootings and violence.

Some are choosing hardening measures like metal detectors, cameras, and other equipment that make schools look more like prisons than places of learning. Others are increasing active-shooter drills and simulations. As district and community leaders gather to discuss their options, however, they often leave out a crucial voice—that of young people.

Students are the eyes and ears of our schools. They are the ones who first encounter the threats of violence or suicide and see concerning behaviors, whether it’s in the classroom, on social media, or in their communities. They are also the ones who can have the biggest impact on their peers when talking about violence prevention.

Empowering students to become part of the solution can create not only real change but a cultural shift in which more inclusive and welcoming environments are the norm, rather than the exception.

Some students say they’re more afraid of a school shooting than the pandemic, and district leaders nationwide are looking for answers.

Effectively engaging students to help keep schools safe begins with listening to their experiences and ideas. We must prioritize student voices in policy discussions and decisionmaking. Any effort will be fruitless if there isn’t any co-creation or buy-in from the most important stakeholders who are most impacted by these decisions—the students themselves.

The active-shooter-simulation law signed earlier this year in Texasis a perfect example of policymaking without meaningful student involvement. Simulations are different from drills. They mimic the scene of a shooting, from the realistic sound of gunfire to injured students and full police response.

Active-shooter simulations don’t make students feel safer at school. Instead, students tell us they are traumatizing. In a recent national poll, 60 percent of teenagersreported feeling unsafe, scared, helpless, or sad as a result. Not “safe,” “protected,” or “prepared.”

In the national efforts to curb gun violence, it’s often the survivors and victims who speak out for change. It’s not by choice but by circumstance. Policymakers want to hear from those most impacted by the issue. Why would debates on school safety be any different? Students know their peers and school community best. It’s time we listen. Deeply.

We can honor my son and the 19 other children and six educators who were murdered in the Sandy Hook tragedy—and the hundreds of school shooting victims since—by committing to co-creating school safety policies with our students. Without their input and ownership, any solution is destined to fail.

Events

Student Well-Being Webinar After-School Learning Top Priority: Academics or Fun?
Join our expert panel to discuss how after-school programs and schools can work together to help students recover from pandemic-related learning loss.
Budget & Finance Webinar Leverage New Funding Sources with Data-Informed Practices
Address the whole child using data-informed practices, gain valuable insights, and learn strategies that can benefit your district.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Classroom Technology Webinar
ChatGPT & Education: 8 Ways AI Improves Student Outcomes
Revolutionize student success! Don't miss our expert-led webinar demonstrating practical ways AI tools will elevate learning experiences.
Content provided by Inzata

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School Climate & Safety Opinion 5 Critical Strategies to Make Your School Safer
There's no single solution to defend students’ physical, mental, and emotional health, but these five actionable steps are a place to start.
Doug Roberts, Ann Levett & Shanna Downs
5 min read
Illustration of a group of people forming the shape of a shield around a school building.
iStock + E+/Getty Images +Education Week
School Climate & Safety Teachers Agree on Most School Safety Issues, Except Guns
Teachers agree on their schools' top safety concerns, but they're divided over a policy that's extensively debated after school shootings.
4 min read
Teachers and other staff members from the Clifton, Texas, school district undergo handgun training at a shooting range just outside of Clifton. Instructors from Big Iron Concealed Handgun Training in Waco, Texas, were giving teachers tips on what they need to know to earn a license to carry weapons out of sight.
Teachers and other staff members from the Clifton, Texas, school district undergo handgun training at a shooting range just outside of Clifton in 2013. Instructors from Big Iron Concealed Handgun Training in Waco, Texas, were giving teachers tips on what they need to know to earn a license to carry weapons out of sight.
Lance Rosenfield/Prime for Education Week
School Climate & Safety It's Not ChatGPT That's the Problem. It's Binary Thinking
A lot of either-or arguments have been playing out in K-12 education over the past few years.
2 min read
051023 Lead Sym Lauraine jb BS
Chris Ferenzi for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Drivers Illegally Pass Buses 42 Million Times a Year. What Schools Can Do
A handful of students are killed each year getting on and off school buses. Schools can take some steps to try to make a difference.
6 min read
Crime scene tape cordons off a school bus as police officers from the Indiana State Police, Bartholomew County Sheriff's Department and Columbus Police Department investigate a hit and run involving a student and a vehicle at a bus stop on South Gladstone Avenue in Columbus, Ind., on Aug. 30, 2021.
Crime scene tape cordons off a school bus as police officers from the Indiana State Police, Bartholomew County Sheriff's Department and Columbus Police Department investigate a hit-and-run involving a student and a vehicle at a bus stop on South Gladstone Avenue in Columbus, Ind., on Aug. 30, 2021. About eight students per year are killed boarding or getting off of school buses.
Mike Wolanin/The Republic via AP