The Empty Chairs, Why America Failed Our Students
/The Empty Chairs
Why America Failed Our Students
By: Eric Caron
As 2021 came to an end, parents and their children prepared for a glorious Christmas feast, and joyfully planned for a new academic school year. For some parents, dreams turned into nightmares. This past Christmas day, empty seats were at some tables and parents sadly reminisced and anguished over their children’s funeral services. Christmas present, and the future will be filled with pain that didn’t have to be. Sadly, most if not all school attacks could have been prevented or mitigated, if schools had implemented and focused on a holistic security program called “left of boom”.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2019 - 2020, within the U.S. there were a total of 75 school shootings with 120 casualties (32 deaths and 88 injuries). There were an additional 37 reported school shootings with no casualties during this same time frame. The majority of these shootings occurred at high schools.
School districts have focused on deterring, and responding to school shootings as exemplified by new security measures in place at most schools. Normally a place of friendships and academic freedom, U.S. schools now appear and feel more like prisons. In addition, hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on “hardening” our schools by way of metal detectors, bullet-proof glass, doors, cameras and other security devices as well as more armed police and teachers who regularly practice active shooter drills. But why haven’t these measures worked?
America has become a nation obsessed with crime and violence. We no longer share common values. We lack tolerance, social controls, and respect for authority and our criminal justice system. Our Godless and fatherless society has certainly contributed to violence in America. The American family has been dismantled, and those effects have directly been felt throughout our society to include schools.
State and federal resources are badly needed for several “left of boom” programs in all our schools focusing on holistic wellness for each student.
Rather than having to respond to school shootings, we need to prevent them, such as implementing mentoring programs. Mentoring has many benefits, which can have far-reaching implications for students and their overall academic performance. Mentors become someone their mentees can turn to when they are struggling with classes, or when they are unsure about something in life. They are trusted advisors.
In addition, students must be taught necessary life skills such as hygiene, finance, volunteering, wellness, effective communication skills, how to keep safe, basic etiquette, morals and values required for healthy, confident and stable kids.
EVERY child, starting in elementary school through high school, should be evaluated and graded three (3) times per year or as needed for mental health issues and threats of violence to self or others by a behavior assessment team (a sub-component of the school’s threat assessment team) comprised of a multidisciplinary staff to include; school leadership, faculty, law enforcement, an attorney and a mental health professional. The threat assessment team will also establish assessment and mitigation procedures for overall threats to the building, students and staff. The Department of Homeland Security has outlined procedures for developing and implementing a threat assessment team. The proposed behavior assessment team will provide intelligence to the threat assessment team to mitigate direct or indirect threats.
Training for ALL school staff, parents and students must be implemented to build a culture of safety, respect, trust and vigilance. We must break down the “codes of silence” and any stovepipes that prevent the behavior assessment team or threat assessment team from receiving information relating to concerning behavior. Connecting all the dots is essential when evaluating behavior of concern, and appropriate action must be taken once evaluated by the threat assessment team. Funding for these “left of boom” initiatives should come from the president’s Build Back Better bill. What better investment than the safety of our children.
We all must be “Switched On” to identify sudden changes of behavior in ALL children and be prepared to take action at a moment's notice to prevent or thwart school attacks. These new holistic, student wellness safety standards need to be implemented now, and end the current school safety facade throughout America. All too often, the hallmark signs of a planned attack are missed, causing unbelievable heartbreak. As a nation, we have focused on responding to school shootings, but it’s all too little too late. We must focus on student’s mental health and create and promote a safe school climate.
I pray for all parents who found themselves sitting at Christmas tables with empty chairs, whose loved ones should not have died, and the parents of the shooters who should have been identified and stopped. We can… we must do better for the lives of all children.
Eric Caron is a Special Agent (Ret) with 25 years of service. He is the author of "Switched On - The Heart & Mind of a Special Agent." His website is: Switchedonlife.com
