School shootings have been a popular topic in the news recently.
We see it nearly every week, a new shooting has made headlines because of the damage caused to a small town in middle America where nothing ever happens. I personally can say that I live in one of those middle America towns where nothing ever happens. Where nothing ever seems to be happening except for the same old same old. Nothing ever happened up until Friday, June 1st, where we nearly became one of those towns on the news with another school shooting.
In my town, we have three high schools that include McKinney High, McKinney Boyd, and McKinney North. We are nearly done with the school year, and Friday was the last day before finals week. Everything was going about as a seemingly normal day until I got a text from my younger brother who goes to McKinney Boyd that said there had been a child who had committed suicide in the middle of the school day at McKinney North, and now the school was on lockdown.
That is when the questions began on if it was a planned school shooting or not. The police have not confirmed or denied either way. Rumors have been going around saying that an anonymous tip system we use at school caught wind of the incident, so it was stopped before anything could happen. Once again this hasn't been confirmed, but at this point in history, it wouldn't be a surprise if it is which is horrible to say.
We shouldn't have kids fearing whether or not they will make it through the school day. School shootings happen on the weekly. Kids are killing other kids who are trying to learn, trying to further an education, trying to be better people in society. The situation at McKinney North proves that this isn't just a gun reform issue, it is a mental health issue. These kids committing these horrendous acts are not mentally stable. We need to help our kids and help make our kids feel safe again in school.
The fear that I experienced on Friday for my hometown is one I never want to feel again. I never want to fear for my brother's life when he is at school. I want to know that he and the rest of the youth in our country are safe when at school.
We are not doing justice to these kids whose lives we have lost. We need action, not silence. We need reform, not the same old same old. We need justice for the kids whose lives have been lost in these shootings.
