It’s Spring – a time for renewal and refreshing. This past year has given me an opportunity to do many of the things that I had wanted to do – number one on my list was to update my website. With the assistance of my sons, David and Howard, my website has been refreshed. Those of you who, in the past visited the website, will now see a fresh, clean look. David spent an inordinate amount of time redoing 1,144 blog postings.
In addition to writing and posting blogs about the reopening of schools and the Covid-19 virus, I have been updating my book, “Creating Safe Schools: A Guide for School Leaders, Teachers, Counselors and Parents”. The updated version will feature a major new section dealing with “Child Anxiety, Stress and Trauma”. The virus and the closing of schools has increased child anxiety, stress and trauma. What shall we expect with schools reopening to in-person learning? There have been national reports about increased child abuse as well as an increase in youth suicides.
A recent change is a revision on “school violence and mass school shootings.” The Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Agency issued new reports this year. The first National Threat Assessment Report, issued after the Columbine HS massacre in Colorado (April 2, 1999 – 22 years ago) recommended a series of steps which schools took seriously including the “hardwiring” of schools, adding “panic doors”, and School Resource Officers. The new report gathered research from Columbine to just before the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglass High School in Parkland Florida, (February 14, 2018). The new report recommends addressing preventive steps not reactionary steps. According to the reports, 91% of all school shootings are caused by students in schools, former school students and students in other schools – not intruders. So, by holding active shooter drills, we are giving potential perpetrators information about where to look for potential victims.