Sending Kids to School Today

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

No , my dd is in 6th grade and in a private K-12 school and she knew before I did but DH is a LEO so she is very aware of guns and gun violence but also has been taught from a early age about this .. we have definitely went over what to do in a bad situation and we also know while it has happens “ a lot “ it is not a daily occurrence and there is no need to make her scared to live life .
These things can happen ANYWHERE.. schools , malls , movies ect ect so I do not want her scared to live .
We have had talks with her about what to do if she sees or hears something that may be suspicious or if she comes across a firearm , we have many guns in our home , she has been taught gun safety and handling since she was young enough to remember.

 

[meghanb133]

I did speak about it with my daughter last night, my DHs cousins attended Stoneman Douglas a few years back and we live a few hours away so it kind of hit home. I told her there are people in place at school to keep her safe. She just has to do what she knows and remain calm if ever in that situation.. I was in tears last night wondering what kind of world we live in where we should fear dropping our kids off to learn every morning. As I drove through car line this morning I told my daughter “I love her”her reply was “Don’t worry mom I’ll be safe..” from a 5th grader. I had tears all the way to work and I sit here and torture myself reading about yesterday. Something has to change.

 

[rlk]

I have two kids in high school. They go to diffirent schools. Both my children are aware and both feel that they are as safe as they can be at school.

My 12th grader goes to a small school housed in a larger complex that includes two other high schools as well as an elementary school. The high school entrance has metal detectors. His school is a good and safe school, but it is housed in a complex that once housed a school nicknamed high school jail. A lot of people balked at sending their children to a school that had metal detectors. I too thought about it four years ago, but decided that this school was the right fit for him. I am very grateful for those metal detectors. I know they can not 100% protect against an assault, but they are a very good deterent.

My other child goes to a small speacialized school attached to a college campus. I am probably feeling a false sense of security thinking that the school communit is so tight knit. The principal sent an email containing the speech he gave to the students this morning.

While I wish I was able to shelter my older teen children from all the horrible things that happen, that is not the reality.

 

[NYCgrrl]

DGD is in school today. She is 12.5 y/o and watches the news daily at our home (PBS NewsHour). We also read newspapers and discuss pertinent stories.

As it's happened for at least the last 3 generations in my family children are cognizant of what goes on around them that can shape their daily experience.

She is still taken to school almost everyday by either the man or me. I used to think that was overly protective but am bowing to the realities of today that actually transcend the events of yesterday. Her school has a metal detector at the door, 2 more layers of security once you enter the front door and she is aware why they are there.

 

[AlohaNow]

We discussed it last night at dinner. 9th and 6th graders who have been on perimeter lockdown twice already this school year due to police activity in the area. Middle and high schools are on the same campus. My kids seem desensitized to it all at this point. After all, what is their alternative? They have to go to school everyday.

I was alone while watching the news early this morning and saw the cell phone footage. I wept. Those kids. I cannot even imagine and I fear for all the kids in the US.

We've talked many times about moving out of the US (for multiple reasons, not just because of the shootings) and he brought it up again last night.

You could move to Hawaii instead of leaving the US. The "guns don't kill people, people kill people" argument falls flat there. Amazingly low gun ownership, amazingly little gun violence there. Doesn't take a genius to figure that out. Two weeks after we moved back to the mainland the Aurora theater shooting happened. I was like, well, we're back to all this now.

I really thought we might see changes after Sandy Hook. But no one, I mean no one, is willing to take on the NRA.

 

[mom2rtk]

I talked about it with my daughter after school yesterday. She's a junior so lots going on she can't miss. I tried not to overplay it, but wanted to take her temperature on it, so to speak. She seems to be processing it OK. I'll be curious to hear if anybody discusses it at school today.

 

[Skellingtonj]

Mine are elementary aged, so it isn't something I'll discuss with them other than, if you have a drill, you do what your teacher tells you.

Same. And they have lock down drills. It took me an extra minute to walk away after drop off. A little prayer went up to keep my kids (and all students) safe.

We had a scare a few years ago. A bomb threat went out to every school in our area. It was a hoax, but still made me think twice.

 

[snoodledoo]

We talked to DS about it last night. He's a sophomore and unconcerned about it happening in his school. We asked him how he would respond in a similar situation and he gave us some answers that you would expect from someone who hasn't really thought it through. We asked him what kind of drills they do and how they are taught to respond. And we told him that his plan was not the best idea and why they do sheltering in place and how it was a better plan. I also told him that if he ever heard anyone making such threats, he needs to tell us or someone at school. Don't be concerned about being a snitch (as he says).

 

[wgeo]

We're in FL and my kids found out yesterday and were upset. My 7th grader was pretty upset but she's young and compartmentalizes things and didn't talk about it this morning because she was focused on her field trip. My 8th grader was upset but then said, "what are you going to do, it's just normal now that kids die at school". And honestly that broke my heart.

 

[katie01]

I'm already seeing friends on FB posting that there have been lockdowns at their kids' schools today due to threats made or BB guns brought to school. Seems like there is often at least one copycat type situation on the heels of these incidents, so that does not help with the anxiety at this time

 

[sam_gordon]

Last year a kid brought an air gun to school and showed it to someone. That kid thought it was real (apparently they look very real) and told a teacher. My son said no one knew what was going on until the police showed up and tackled the kid in the hallway. He said it happened so fast. Crazy part is the kid was allowed BACK to school!

I don't understand what's so crazy. Now, if the kid made some kind of threat (either with the gun or without), I understand, but if he just brought the gun to show friends "look what I got!", why shouldn't he be allowed back?

 

[LouChris]

I didn't talk to DD about it as I knew it would cause her more anxiety. After having kids in the local school system for 20+ years we just this year started having repeated called in bomb threats. DD (junior) has had 6 called in that they have evacuated them for to an off site place and the majority of parents picked their children up there. They have had 2 that the school did NOT evacuate them as they considered them "not credible". As dd said i have no clue how they figured out they were not credible as the bomb dogs were not in the school, if the bomb dogs are in the school we have to close the doors. Kind of upset me. So afraid we are going to get into the "boy who cried wolf" situation and they wont evacuate them and there will be a bomb.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I don't understand what's so crazy. Now, if the kid made some kind of threat (either with the gun or without), I understand, but if he just brought the gun to show friends "look what I got!", why shouldn't he be allowed back?

IMO if you bring a gun to school and try to show it off as a real gun you should be immediately expelled.

This kid is/was problematic. My son told me he had been suspended multiple times and was on court ordered probation. He was also 19 and a senior.

 

[lorimay]

Broward County schools (County where shooting happened)today are on code yellow, which means heightened security.
Someone told my daughter that all schools were locked down and it put some anxiety on her and she text me to put on the news.
Found out there was a phone threat made at another school high school in Coconut Creek , also in Broward county.
My blood pressure rose a bit and told her maybe its time for virtual school.

My grandkids are 9 & 7, not sure if they had a conversation with them or not.
We were talking yesterday out of earshot of them. Their father was on stand by to respond to the school and their grandfather was there. We didn't want to frighten them during the situation.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

We don't talk about it with our elementary school kids. We like to just take the same approach as the rest of the country on this type thing .... just ignore it and maybe it will all resolve on its own.

 

[mummabear]

Adding fear for their safety is just so much to ask of them

I do think it’s scary and a relatively new issue (generationally) however to put it in perspective. Kids were being schooled during WW1&2, my parents lived through the Cuban Nuclear middle crisis, they had maps on their school walls with scenarios of what areas would be decimated. They were twice sent home to be with their families for “the end”
My generation was lucky and had no huge issue to be frightened of, however we were the anomaly

 

[sam_gordon]

IMO if you bring a gun to school and try to show it off as a real gun you should be immediately expelled.

This kid is/was problematic. My son told me he had been suspended multiple times and was on court ordered probation. He was also 19 and a senior.

All your original post said was the kid brought in an air rifle and ANOTHER kid thought it was real. You didn't say anything about the gun's owner acting like it was real, or that he was suspended multiple times (that only makes a difference IMO if it was for some kind of violence).

 

[cvjw]

My kids schools have armed guards, so that makes us feel better. Armed guards that we see practicing their shooting skills at the gun range.

There will always be people who want to kill other people for whatever reason. I am happy that at my kids school, there is at least someone who is trained to shoot back.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

All your original post said was the kid brought in an air rifle and ANOTHER kid thought it was real. You didn't say anything about the gun's owner acting like it was real, or that he was suspended multiple times (that only makes a difference IMO if it was for some kind of violence).

My apologies. Yes my son told me that the kid played it up like it was real. My son also said he was suspended multiple times but I have no idea for what. And he was in trouble criminally and on probation. He seemed to be a problematic kid. IMO these are tell tale signs of someone with issues and maybe he shouldn't be in school.

I didn't go to the school or make a stink about it. It was the end of the year. I just told my son to stay very far away from this kid.

 

[okeydokey]

We are desensitized to gun violence in the US, there will be another mass shooting today or tomorrow and people just accept it as part of loving our guns, so what is there to say?