What will actually make schools safer

As the school year ends across the country, parents are asking a question that would have been unthinkable a generation ago: Is my child safer because they are not going to school today?

Such a question should be unthinkable, but the murder of 19 students and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, was another reminder that schools — like shopping centers, churches and movie theaters — have become targets for mass shootings. The assailants are almost always young men, who express their anger or grievances with a gun, often an AR-15. 

Students across the country are asking their teachers and parents a direct and difficult question: Can you keep me safe? 

Instead of “thoughts and prayers” lawmakers at the state and federal level must act now. When students return in the fall, educators and parents must know that extra measures have been taken to protect them. Safety is an essential prerequisite for teaching and learning. We can’t expect to reach any of our educational goals if the safety of students, and the educators who serve them, is not treated as our highest priority. 

After the Uvalde shooting, I joined other experts in calling for steps to reduce gun violence at schools. Sadly, that statement was merely an updated version of the plea we made in 2018, following the murders at Stoneman Douglass High School in Parkland, Fla. Since that horrific incident no meaningful action has been taken by policy makers, and kids continue to be killed in school. 

It is important to note that while the killers in Uvalde and Sandy Hook were unaffiliated with the schools they attacked, most often, the shooters have been students at the schools where the violence has occurred. In such cases, there are strategies that can be pursued that will help to make schools safer. 

First, every school can be encouraged to establish measures so that every student and their needs are known. Since the Columbine massacre of 1999, there have been many cases where the kids were aware that a problem was brewing before the adults. We know that student anonymity in school increases the likelihood that kids in need go unnoticed. We also know that if kids trust you, they will be more likely to speak up when a threat is brewing. They will alert the educators if another student has been issuing threats or is carrying a weapon, especially if they believe they will be protected when they speak up.

Second, we should prioritize hiring sufficient numbers of counselors, social workers, and school psychiatrists. Teachers should not be expected to address all of the needs of kids by themselves. They must have well-trained professionals that they can refer students to when a need is apparent. Rather than arming teachers we must provide them with the support they need.

Third, all schools should implement annual school climate surveys so that students can report whether or not they feel physically and emotionally safe at school. Such surveys can also help in identifying students in need of intervention.

In the aftermath of other mass shootings, we have seen some politicians refuse to address access to guns and instead talk at length about the need to focus on mental health. That might make sense if they offered concrete suggestions about what should be done, especially while the nation is in the grips of a pervasive mental health crisis.

However, let’s be clear about two things: Violence is not intrinsically a byproduct of mental illness. We must make sure that as policy makers rush to act like they’re “doing something” that we do not adopt policies that will increase the stigma on people suffering from mental illness and make it even less likely that they will be open to receiving help. 

Additionally, we must acknowledge that the real problem is that Americans have too many guns. Common sense gun safety laws must be a part of the solution. This includes comprehensive background checks, enforced red flag laws to remove guns from people threatening violence to themselves or others, and a ban on the sale of military-style weapons that have been used in so many of these killings. 

Poll after poll shows the majority of people support these reforms. It is beyond time for legislators to act. 

Summer should be a time when students and teachers get to rest and recharge. It’s a necessary break for growth and rest. However, for Congress and state legislatures, this summer must be a time for work. They must enact reasonable gun control measures and direct resources to fund counselors and social workers to reinforce school safety. Too many of our children have already died. We cannot afford to wait until it happens again. 

Pedro A. Noguera is dean of the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education and an expert on school safety and climate. He is also among the leaders of The Interdisciplinary Group on Preventing School and Community Violence.