Op-Ed: Back-to-school season

A chilling video with an important message

Kayley Norman / Op-Ed Contributor / The USD Vista

Back-to-school season, for a number of us, can bring to mind memories of new backpacks, shoes, books, pencils, and the basic essentials we craved as young kids or teens venturing back into the new school year. We probably never thought we would need these supplies in life or death situations, but the Sandy Hook Promise did. Founded after the devastating shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut back in 2012,  this foundation works to educate and train adults and students to know the signs of gun violence in honor of the lives lost during this tragic event.  Their recent video published on the Sandy Hook Promise website and YouTube on Sept. 17, was titled “Back-To-School Essentials.” At first glance, the cheerful music and smiles on the children’s faces as they show their new supplies to the audience watching, makes this seem like it’s just another ordinary advertisement for the new school year. But within seconds, this jolly advertisement takes a sharp turn into reality, and exposes the harsh truth of what children and teens going back to school have to think about. It’s a truly heartbreaking video, but the message you are left with in the end is vital in spreading awareness of gun violence in the school environment, and hopefully, it will become a catalyst for taking steps toward preventing mass shootings. 

Seconds into the video, we see a boy studying in the library, exclaiming that his mom got him the perfect headphones for studying. Viewers may be distracted by the smile on the boy’s face, but a keen eye can see that just behind the boy, other children begin to rush out of the room. Cut to a hallway where another boy is running and says, “These sneakers are just what I needed for the new year,” and we begin to hear that once cheerful music fade out, and it is replaced by gunshots and screaming. Scenes later, a young girl is seen hiding in a bathroom stall. With tears in her eyes and some streaming down her face, we see the young girl send a text, “I love you mom.” The video closes with the sound of footsteps along the bathroom floor and the screen turns black as you hear the young girl gasp for air. A final message appears on the black screen in silence; “It’s back to school time and you know what that means. School shootings are preventable when you know the signs,” and viewers are further urged to visit their website at www.sandyhookpromise.org. 

This video makes it quite clear that tragedies of gun violence are not unknown to today’s generation of children and young adults. Dreadfully, it’s not an uncommon event in today’s world, as CNN reported back in July that there have already been 22 school shootings in the U.S. so far this year, and honestly, it would be naïve to assume that there will not be more. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Columbine school shooting, and coming this December, it will have been seven years since the fatal shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Whether you have been directly or indirectly affected by school shootings, it is something that shakes us all, and beyond political action, we can often feel helpless. However, it is tremendously important to remember that there are in fact steps we can take to knowing the signs and preventing these gruesome attacks. 

With further research into the Sandy Hook Promise and a trip to their website, viewers can note their mission and story with a scroll down their homepage. A full mission statement indicated on the website says, “Based in Newtown, Connecticut, our intent is to honor all victims of gun violence by turning our tragedy into a moment of transformation by providing programs and practices that protect children and prevent the senseless, tragic loss of life.” A few clicks in and you can see that they offer ways to get involved in their promise, take a pledge yourself, and most importantly, get the facts. The Sandy Hook Promise offers “16 Facts About Gun Violence and School Shootings,” some of which include but are not limited to, “Each day eight children die from gun violence in America. Another 32 are shot and injured,” along with, “18 percent of school shootings have taken place since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012.” In addition to these facts, the website offers “Know the Signs” programs, designed to be brief, 30 to 40 minute, student trainings that can be delivered in a classroom, with all the resources provided at no additional cost. For such a program that can help to save lives, a mere sacrifice of time to host just one of these programs is well worth it. An example of these programs includes one entitled “Start with Hello,” a program created to teach today’s youth to, “minimize social isolation, empathize with others, and create a more inclusive and connected culture” the website says. One survey taken by Alfred University recorded the opinions of students and whether they disagreed or agreed with 16 statements regarding the reason for school shootings. The top two responses, with over 87 percent of students strongly agreeing, indicated that school shooters want to “get back at those who have hurt them” or that “other kids bully them.” So, if we are to credit a shooter’s motivations to the school environment and being bullied, I would say that it’s imperative that we work toward creating an inclusive culture in our schools where students do not feel isolated but connected with their fellow classmates. With dedication to prevention programs such as “Start with Hello,” I believe that we can turn these idealistic goals into a reality and rid the modern classroom of hatred, forming it into safe spaces for growth. These programs are important to begin implementing in school communities today, and opportunities to register elementary and secondary schools for such programs is just one click away. 

The Sandy Hook Promise isn’t alone in this idea of training students and adults in creating a better school environment. The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) reported in a survey that, “approximately 95 percent of school districts have a comprehensive plan to address crisis preparedness, response, and recovery.” This data seems like a step in the right direction, which it is, but the flaw in these programs for preparedness, response, and recovery lies in the practice and execution of these plans. In the same study, the NIJ stated, “In a national survey of more than 750 school-based police officers, about half of the officers said the emergency plans for their schools were not adequate. More than 66 percent indicated that their emergency plans were not practiced on a regular or ongoing basis.” So if these programs and plans provided by school districts for prevention and emergency readiness are inadequate and not practiced regularly, it is crucial that we take the necessary steps to provide and support additional programs like “Start with Hello,” and others like “PRAISE,” offered by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to, “reduce day-to-day aggression within schools and communities.” These programs are a step in the right direction and definitely worth the time and dedication, as they will work toward creating a more inclusive culture in schools and in turn, save lives. 

Without political or legislative action, it can be frustrating to think of how we can prevent gun violence in our schools. However, by knowing the signs and educating others on them, especially our youth, we can start the conversation and begin on the right path. To ignore the facts and the truth that these tragedies occur daily would be a neglect of our position as role models for children today. It would thus be an injustice to not educate those who wish to ignore reality or hide it from their children, especially when support programs and services like the Sandy Hook Promise are so readily available. I implore you to not only watch the PSA posted by the Sandy Hook Promise, but to take it a step further and share the message. Start the conversation. Today’s youth looks up to us to take action, and by providing these programs and educating not only ourselves but others on the signs, we can help to prevent gun violence in schools and change the culture of the classroom for the better. The classroom can once again become a place of learning and growth, rather than one of fear.