School Shootings Becoming the “Norm”

On November 30, 2021, parents sent their high school kids off to Oxford High School, in Michigan, expecting it to be a normal Tuesday. However, no one knew an astonishing 11 individuals would unfortunately not return home that evening. Ethan Crumbley, 15 years of age, attended Oxford High School and was present on the day of the shootings. However, after emerging from the bathroom, Ethan pulled out his parent’s 9mm Sig Sauer SP 2022 pistol and began shooting at students in the hallway. Within five minutes, 11 were shot and the rest were hidden in classrooms, under desks, or trying to escape the school as fast as possible. Ethan Crumbley was later apprehended by deputies in the school hallway and charged with four counts of first-degree murder and terrorism; His parents also are facing involuntary manslaughter charges.

Gun-related violence in schools is a pervasive issue and has only gotten worse throughout the years. Mr. Murphy, a local high school teacher at Pennridge, believes the true reason that violence has gotten out of control in schools is “overall fame and glory. School shootings seem to keep happening because the internet guides us to take our frustrations out in different ways. In the most recent school shooting, he even referenced Columbine due to the fame and glory these boys think they pass on to the next shooter.”

COVID-19 has also caused a significant drop in mass shootings in schools thanks to online schooling. Reports state that “As the pandemic spread across the country, students were swept from their classrooms and isolated in their homes, raising concern that the instability could result in devastating emotional health implications and widespread learning loss. But it also came with an unsettling silver lining: A year without a single mass school shooting.” While it seems as though everyone is ready to go back to “pre-COVID normal,” many have forgotten that the United States on a normal day comes with mass shootings, such as these, quite often.

The first school shooting dates back to 1891, and since then has led to a series of events at schools across the United States. This growing issue not only scares parents, but teachers as well. A local high school teacher, Jason Hepler, believes” if we want things to get better it is necessary to start with understanding and addressing mental health in students. We need to do a better job of promoting, diagnosing, and supporting mental health. Many school districts treat mental health like it’s pre 2000; there is always a lack of counselors and psychologists across a lot of schools.”

The biggest danger of it all is the way school districts handle the idea of school shootings. Mr. Murphy quoted, “Many school districts are just under the impression that it would never happen to us. Hence, ALICE drills are not taken seriously or done enough.” Parents should be able to completely trust that they will see their child at the end of every school day; it is not fair for adults to have to stress the idea of their kid not being safe on school property. The first step in the right direction is raising awareness of this issue on all levels: the mental health impact that school has on students and the security measures that should be put into place and practiced. It is important to keep our children and our community safe at all costs.