By Layla Schneider
Trigger Warning - Gun Violence, Mental Health
In the 24 years since the Columbine High School massacre, gun violence has increased in educational settings.
As of August 23, 2023, since Columbine, 118 active school shooting incidents have been reported in the US at K-12 schools. Hundreds of thousands have been exposed to gun violence in a school setting. According to the Washington Post at least 185 children, staff and others have been killed by gun violence in a school setting since Columbine.
The Effect of Shootings
Stanford's Institute for Economic Policy Research published an article on surviving school shootings and the mental impact shootings have on people. Some key takeaways from the article were that students who are exposed to gun violence within an educational setting are less likely to graduate high school and college; not only this, but research shows that those exposed to school shootings are among a higher rate of using/needing antidepressants. Students who are in school shootings are likely to have a low income in their 20s. Shootings lower the enrollment rate of schools and ultimately lower test scores. Stanford’s article explained that students being absent more after a shooting is very common and it results in students having to be held back and do a grade again. (To read more about Stanford’s article, visit the link below)
The worst school shooting as of 2023 in America was in 2007 at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA. The shooting left 33 dead and 23 injuries. The Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in Newtown, CT of 2012 left 27 fatalities and 2 injuries. The third most deadly shooting happened in 2022 in Uvalde Texas, which left 21 students and staff dead and had 17 injuries. These are just three of the numerous shootings that have taken place in American school settings. The students, teachers, administrators and other staff, forever will be affected by this.
In 2019, over the span of two weeks, 3 survivors of the Sandy Hook shooting committed suicide. One of the 3 was Jermey Richman and he was the father of Avielle- a girl killed in the shooting. The Sandy Hook Promise, an organization dedicated to helping prevent gun violence, released a statement in response to the news saying, “There are no words to express the pain and loss of precious life. Jermey was a beloved Newtown community member and celebrated neuroscientist who was doing amazing work leading The Avielle Foundation to research brain health, prevent violence, and build compassion.” The Sandy Hook Promise went onto voice how the traumatic events of a shooting and losing someone in a shooting will forever affect the survivors.
Student Testimonies
While several have had their lives taken in shootings, but several have survived. Here’s some short tellings of what happened to students that survived shootings.
Aalayah Eastmond- hid under the body of a classmate to survive the Parkland, Florida school shooting of 2018.
Mia Page-Tretta- was shot in the stomach and her best friend was killed right next to her in 2019 Santa Clarita, California.
Chase Yarbrough- Sante Fe, Texas 2018. He was shot six times and a bullet still remains in his heart.
Emma Nees- Rockford, Washington. She was shot through the abdomen while running from the shooter in 2017.
Alexander Dworet- Parkland Florida shooting, took a bullet to the head and survived, but his older brother Nick was killed.
Harding’s Precaution
Here at Harding measures have been taken to ensure our students and staff's safety. Our School Resource Officer, Dena Benroth expressed that “We make sure doors[entrances to the building] are closed and none are propped open.” Any guests in the school must go through the front office and check in to be at the school. In the event of an emergency every classroom has nightlocks to prevent people from getting in.
Officer Benroth expressed that, “If you see something, say something.”
Stanford Article- https://siepr.stanford.edu/publications/health/surviving-school-shooting-impacts-mental-health-education-and-earnings-american
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