I was a teenager when the Columbine massacre occurred and little has been done to address the root cause of such events. Active shooter drills and shelter-in-place education have been normalized, so much so that many students no longer take them seriously. They are just another part of the overall school experience and do little to address the actual problems at hand. While I am thankful that Bangor has solid safety protocols in place, it’s time we move away from reaction-based responses and towards proactive mitigation strategies.
As a community, we need to work collaboratively to identify meaningful ways to address school violence. Behind each threat is a young person in need of mentorship and support and I think that we (as parents, educators, mentors) have a duty to ensure those needs are met.