Anxiety and stress are at an all-time high for American families with school-aged children. Thoughts and worries about the safety of their children are affecting everyone as we transition into the 2022-2023 school year. The cause of their stress: the impending threat of school shooters. 

On the outside, it looks as if the American government is doing little to nothing to make changes. That is not the case. 

Major precautions to prevent these events in America are taken this year. Large fences are being built on the perimeter of schools. Cameras, police protection, and mental health resources are all being multiplied. It even goes as far as bulletproof desks that small children can hide inside of being installed.

Teachers in Florida and Pennsylvania are required to go through mental health awareness training. Laws in California and Florida are both tightening up in order to keep guns out of the hands of untrustworthy people. 

Grants are being given to a large handful of states. This money is to be used to improve the school’s safety against active shooters. 

This money is also going towards disaster relief. Schools are focusing on how to help the mental health of students after going through these increasingly common traumatic events. 

There will be an increase in trained personnel on campus in order to prevent and handle these situations. Trained de-escalation personnel are being hired in order to increase preparedness. 

But America isn’t a perfect paradise.

Kids all over the country are opting for online learning. Others have decided home-schooling is the safest option for them. And even more are transferring schools out of fear. 

With 19 students and 2 teachers dead at the Uvalde, Texas shooting in May earlier this year, the atmosphere in the area is dim. Even with new safety procedures, no one feels completely safe anymore. 

This is just one of hundreds of cities in America feeling unsafe. 

Does TG feel safe?

After speaking with Grace Bunge, a senior, and Hannah Devires, a sophomore, both students at Totino-Grace High School, it is obvious that this fear leaks into TG as well.

On the topic of the US government doing its part in the stopping of gun violence, Bunge said “I don’t think they’re doing nearly enough. School shootings keep consistently happening, yet all we hear from those in power is ‘thoughts and prayers’.”

Devries answered, “No, the fact that there are still shootings means they aren’t doing enough.”

She pointed out that we need “real legislation and action” which is on par with what parents and teachers are saying nationwide.

Bunge added that the best way for these issues to be addressed is from the source. She said, “I think better mental health and bullying services in schools would help a ton.” She touched on stronger gun control laws and better screenings before purchasing. 

Devries and Bunge both concur that school shootings are an impending threat to TG. 

Bunge feels they are a threat to every school. She said, “It’s sad I have accepted that fact, but that is the reality we live in today. Not even the state fair or Mall of America is safe from gun violence, let alone schools.”