MAKE OUR SCHOOLS SAFE AGAIN.
Last night, I received an email from my daughter’s school board.
Evidently, law enforcement had discovered a threat on social media.
It didn’t name a specific school, but they tracked the student who posted it and that student has been detained.
But it doesn’t make it any less scary.
These days, the news is scary.
School is scary.
Being a student is scary.
Being a teacher is scary.
Being a parent is scary.
When I was a student, school seemed safe.
Now we drop our kids off in the morning and pray that they are safe and sound when we pick them up in the afternoon.
This isn’t a political message.
But there is a problem.
And it needs to be solved.
Everybody is worried about the safety of their kids, politics aside.
This is no way to live.
Home schooling sounds more appealing every day.
Please, make our schools safe again.
Chris McMullen, Ph.D.
Parent, Teacher, Author, Lifetime Student
chrismcmullen 
I can’t imagine how scary that must be for parents. I homeschooled my kids all the way through: it’s definitely doable. In some states there are free online schools so your kids can be taught at home by a public school teacher. Or you can hire a tutor to homeschool your kids. Think outside of the box: your children’s safety is paramount, and they’ll get a better education in the process.
Thank you for sharing your experience with home schooling.
Your article’s topic is one of the reasons I am no longer a teacher, but a private tutor. I go to students’ houses and become close with them and their families. I have never felt more safe or rewarded. And I agree with Barbara Frank that homeschooling, if your family has the time, is a great way to go. There are some good and not so good programs, so if you ever go this route, ask around. I have tutored many homeschoolers during my career and they are all successful adults now. You are right. It is a frightening time for kids, parents, and teachers alike. No one should ever walk into a school and not feel safe. I wish I knew the quick fix. : (
It’s a shame that students in schools are losing teachers over this, but it has become a serious job hazard. Thank you for taking time to add your comments.
I agree this subject should not be politicized, but to get anything done about the divisiveness, we have to face the politics. It seems as if the people have no choice but to use the ballot box to gain legislature to act on the obvious. Our leadership is more interested in their political future than serving the people that entrusted them to their office. So it needs to begin at home to ensure the divisiveness ends with our generation and not proliferated by our children. Thank you for this post.
It would certainly help for politicians (and therefore voters) to find some ways to help with this.