I think we can all say, we have heard of a school shooting happening in the past year. If not one, several. In the U.S. alone, there have been 13 school shootings, only in 2018. This is the highest number at this point during any year since 1999. Still, school shootings remain rare, and only a tiny percentage of the tens of millions of students in America ever experience them.

Even still, the Washington Post indicates that no less than 210,000 students have experienced gun violence within their schools since the Columbine High massacre of 1999.

Since then, the post has seen that at least 131 children, educators, and other people have been killed in these assaults and another 273 have been injured.

These numbers portray the number of children and adults who will always be traumatized by experiencing a life-threatening event, scared of waking up and going to the place where one should feel the safest.

We cannot allow more children to lose their lives from being shot at school. We cannot allow more teachers to have to make the decision of jumping in front of a rifle to save the lives of these children. We cannot allow one more family member to hear the words that their child has been killed.

Our schools should not feel unsafe.

School safety is not a political issue. There cannot be two sides and millions of biases to doing everything in our power to ensure the lives and futures of children who are at risk of dying when they should be learning, playing, and developing. We should not have to live in fear.

I don't know what the solution is, or if there is one to ending these occurrences.

I believe that through education, safety procedures, and other in-school adjustments, there is a chance of reducing these horrifying numbers. In order to do this, we must put aside the political debates about ideal solutions and be reminded of the reality in front of us.

There is no separation or political parities in our goal to do everything in our power to keep children safe within their schools.