A MOMMY'S MANIFESTO
Feeling nauseous, heart sick and helpless yet again, a movement begins
I tried to explain to my 1st grader the concept of “run, hide fight” – the active shooter protocol (Department of Homeland Security) intended to help our kids should they find themselves in that unthinkable situation. She looked confused. Then scared. And then I stopped.
After hearing the political posturing, senseless rationale and excuses given by our “leaders” following the latest massacre in Uvalde, I am more convinced than ever that we cannot sit back and wait on politicians or gun control legislation. It is not coming. There is no cavalry.
What we do have are people out there with easy access to military-style firearms who intend to harm others and whose cowardice drives them to target the most vulnerable among us, our kids. But what we also have are parents who love their kids and find themselves feeling nauseous, heart sick and helpless. Again.
As is almost always the case, there were warnings – far ahead of this latest shooting – that were ignored or not taken seriously enough by the young people that saw or received them. In a moment of helplessness, I called the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) and Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) to understand how students can report a threat. You know, something more than “tell a teacher or parent.” There must be something, right? Wrong.
Did you know that the LBUSD and LBPD have no technology based anonymous reporting system in place? Nothing for the 70,000 students on the front lines of this issue. Those with the greatest visibility into those that may harm others, themselves or are being harmed. What we have are local phone numbers that kids can call if they want to report something. And thanks to caller ID they are not anonymous, although the district claims they are.
Kids are not going to call a phone number – they don’t call each other! They need an easy, anonymous way to share what they are seeing, hearing or concerned about. We need them to know what a threat is and looks like, and we need them to trust their gut instincts and report.
The states of Michigan and Colorado have app-based reporting systems in place and Sandy Hook Promise has a system it offers to school districts nationwide (presently 120+).
We need a holistic solution to school violence prevention – one that delivers educational programs, easy-to-use reporting technology and ongoing curriculum. And we need it today!
We cannot let practical, on the ground change fall to those whose children were killed. It’s the rest of us who should be driving change as thanks for our good luck. And that’s all it is – luck. Luck that it was not our school or our kids.
Photo: California Teacher's Association https://www.cta.org/our-advocacy/school-safety
