America is again overwhelmed with the loss of so many. It is not only felt in Parkland, Florida, but is a sweeping loss across the nation. Children and teachers alike should not be afraid to walk into a classroom. They should not be afraid to express their right to an education. It is unfair for schools to have to assume that there may be active shooters around any corner.

I remember being in middle school the first time we had a code red in which students were required to hide under desks and in corners with the lights off and doors locked. We were told not to make a sound. I was eleven. Schools are practicing these drills still, and many students at Stoneman Douglas High School claim that it is this very practice that saved so many lives. There is sadness in this forced drill, however, the fact that American students are asked to hide in fear as active shooters strut into schools with automatic weapons and take their pick. Personally, I am not against guns, but our gun control should be better than that. When a nineteen-year-old boy that has shown signs of mental instability, can legally purchase a gun, a semi-automatic rifle, there is something wrong with the system.

To the parents of Stoneman Douglas High, there is nothing you could have done. You were trying to make life easier for your child by sending them to school to get a proper education. You were helping your children make strides to a better future. I saw that the deceased were exemplary in school and athletic programs, a couple had already been accepted into colleges. Sending your children to school means setting them up for a better future, it means better job opportunity, a better financial situation in the future, and provides a better understanding of the world around them. On February 14, 2018, you did your job.

To the staff of Stoneman Douglas High, you showed up for work ready to do your jobs. You brought you’re A games, smiling faces, and offered your students a hand in each lesson you taught. Teachers and staff within a school are blessings to the earth, with their patience and willingness to aid students in their learning abilities. You keep children safe when they are not at home, you are their protectors, and three of you protected your students to such an extent that your lives were lost. You let fearful students in as you locked the doors, you kept frantic students quiet so that the shooter could not hear. You guided them to safety and followed the rules of the code red practices. On February 14, 2018, you were brave and you all went above and beyond to do your job.

To the students of Stoneman Douglas High, you went to school Wednesday, maybe not realizing it, but you were bettering yourselves. You were striving for the future you want so badly, exploring your options. You are filling your schedule with courses that are required and others that might peak your interest, trying to figure out the life that lay ahead of you, the life that fourteen of you had snatched out of your hands. You all walked the halls in the morning together, heading to classes, unaware of what was to come. You all chatted and learned new things; you dealt with the troubles that belong to nearly every high school student. You held your classmates close and your friends closer. Then the unexpected happened and you were forced to wait patiently filled with fear. Some of you watched as the unexplainable happened and for this I am sorry. I am sorry that you walked into a high school in the morning that was warm and welcoming and that was filled with sorrow and loss by the late afternoon. I am sorry that the drills and practices are never enough to stop an active shooter from trying. I am sorry that not all of you were able to escape, and finally, I am sorry that you no longer feel safe. By going to school that morning you did what you were supposed to, you loved how you should, you took in lesson plan after lesson plan and with each minute crafted your future. On February 14, 2018, you did your job as a student and an active member of Stoneman Douglas High School.

To America, what are we going to do now? Let us be honest with one another about the roots of these issues that our school systems face on a daily basis. Let us stand together in this discussion not as a Democrat or Liberal, not belonging to either party, let us stand together in defense of our children. Let us be honest when we discuss gun-related issues. It has become evident in the last few years that gun laws need to be stricter, screening must be better. Training systems given to schools must be more thorough. I am not saying we should do away with our rights to bear arms, the law is written in to the constitution for a reason; what I am saying is we should not live in fear America, and we must do better for our children now and for future children. We have to stand as a single unit and do better for our families in Parkland and for our families across all fifty states.