In 2023, 319 fire-arm-related incidents took place on school grounds. Of those 319 incidents, there have been 219 student victims that have either been wounded or killed, students who started their days like normal, completely unaware of the tragedy that would ensue later on.
According to the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy and Research (SIEPR), it has been estimated that upwards of 100,000 students attended a school where a shooting took place from 2018-2019.
Because of the prevalence of this violence, students and faculty on any given day could experience anxiety, grief, guilt, depression, and fear.
In addition to the loss of young life, and the grief of the community in the wake of a school shooting, the effects that the shooting has on the community are both overwhelming and everlasting. In the aftermath of a school shooting, research has shown that antidepressants are used at an exceedingly higher rate. School shootings are also directly correlated with a decline in student enrollment, as well as the decline in standardized test scores, which have been plaguing the country. Chronic absenteeism (continuous lack of attendance) is also one of the main contributing factors to students who have experienced a school shooting needing to repeat a grade level in the wake of the shooting.
“It’s not going to happen to me,” are the thoughts that go through most of our heads when we numbingly read another news headline of a school shooting. The Michigan State University shooting completely changed this narrative. It hit many students at East close to home, as hundreds of East Grand Rapids students are attending there, and many have siblings there. The MSU shooting proved that it really can happen right in your backyard.
“I felt angry, powerless, a full range of emotions,” Jordan Harper, a faculty member said.
As a faculty member, Harper provides a unique perspective regarding the safety of our schools. Harper and several students note that they feel safe in our school, but there are always steps to make the school safer.
“I think East is as safe as possible, but I mean, there’s steps that every school could take if they have the adequate funding and will from our politicians to protect the schools better,” Harper added.
One of the most controversial questions surrounding school shooting arguments is whether or not there should be a trained armed staff member on a school campus.
“I don’t think that there should be someone with a gun on campus. I don’t know how much good it can do in a situation, and I know me, and probably other students will feel threatened by someone armed at school,” Sadie Dupin ‘25 said.
From the staff perspective, Harper understands the benefits of having an armed school liaison officer on campus.
“I think a school liaison officer, someone who has trained their whole lives to be in that situation or potentially be in that situation can be beneficial. I think that would help the students and staff feel safer here,” Harper said.
Across the board, most do not feel safe arming teachers, but understand that having a specially trained officer can be very beneficial in school shooting situations, and can give the students and staff peace of mind while at school.
In the end, politicians need to take measures to protect students and faculty from the epidemic which is school shootings.
It is disgusting how desensitized we have all become to the constant violence that takes place in places of learning. Students in today’s society are faced with immense pressure to succeed in school, and tasked with balancing their heavy workloads, with seemingly endless extracurricular activities, all while trying to maintain a healthy social life. Students shouldn’t have to go to school and worry about the risk of getting shot.
