Threats will only end when there are school shootings | Opinion

By Kathryn Quigley

I didn't sleep well last Sunday because I was worried about a shooting at my son's school in South Jersey. This was a result of a restless night the week before worrying about the school shooting in Georgia. As a college teacher and a father in a country without sensible gun control, my anxious thoughts and sleepless nights are often.

Two students and two teachers were murdered last week at Apalachee High School in suburban Georgia. The details of the story just got worse.

It was the shooter's second day at the school, and he went to the counselor because he was anxious, according to news reports. He had previously been investigated by police for making a threat on the Discord server. His father gave him a semi-automatic assault rifle anyway, according to the Associated Press. The mother said she tried to warn the school that morning

The shooter is now charged with four counts of murder. The father was also arrested and charged for allowing his son to possess a gun.

Every school shooting bothers me, but the one in Apalachee was especially hard because it was only the first week and the gun violence had already started. Like many parents, I kiss my youngest and tell him I love him before I drop him off at school.

You can't live like that.

Lockdown drills are obviously needed. According to CNN, there have already been 46 school shootings in the country in 2024, killing or injuring 86 people.

At my college, I participate in school shooting training, checking for fire exits and windows in every classroom. After every shooting, parents look for answers—extra cops, metal detectors, clear backpacks.

Or we could be a country with sensible gun controls. A country where teenagers with mental health issues don't get semi-automatic weapons given to them by their parents. I'm not an expert on gun control. But I know that the way we've been doing things isn't working.

On Sunday afternoon, my South Jersey town was hit by the threat of school violence. A photo circulated on social media claiming that five schools in Deptford, Glassboro, Woodbury and Haddon Heights were being “shot at.” The post was widely shared and police investigated. By Sunday evening, school districts announced they would be closing the next day. We parents were left to deal with our kids and our jobs.

As of Monday morning, three teenagers had been arrested and charged with false public alarm and terroristic threats. One of the teenagers was 12 years old.

My city's Facebook group exploded again with calls to charge children like adults and throw away the key. Read the posts and lock up their parents while the police are at it. That will teach them all a lesson.

But that didn't happen. Two more threatening posts appeared on social media on Tuesday. And the threatening posts continued throughout the week in other New Jersey counties.

How can we expect students to behave normally when they have to prepare for their possible violent death once a month? Why are we surprised that they act out their worst fears? Yes, the threatening posts are a way to get attention and a day off, but is it possible that the teens were trying to gain control in some strange way?

Student mental health has deteriorated significantly during the pandemic lockdown. I've seen it in my own teenagers and in my college students. Add to that the instant gratification of social media and the persistent fear of school shootings, what do we expect?

Why are we surprised that students react to gun violence? Every month they cower behind their desks or hide in closets, fearful that one day they will be shot and left to bleed to death in their classrooms.

But why does this have to be our way of life?

We parents, educators, law enforcement agencies and, above all, teachers need to think long and hard about this. Otherwise, this will never end. And the sleepless nights will continue.

Kathryn Quigley is an educator and mother living in South Jersey.