SERC is disturbed and saddened by the school shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine’s Day—taking so many lives, shattering witnesses and loved ones, shaking another community, and once again altering a place of learning into one of terror and fear. Teachers, administrators, and families work every day to build schools into environments that make adults and children feel welcome. Families deserve to drop off their children knowing they will be safe, and educators and students deserve schooldays free from violence of any kind. We remember too well the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy in our own state and its continued impact on our friends and colleagues in that community. School shootings have no place in a nation that values the sanctity in education. Our thoughts are with the people of Parkland and with gun violence victims everywhere.
Related Resources: Talking to Students and Family about School Violence
- 15 Tips for Talking with Children about School Violence: http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/15-tips-talking-children-about-school-violence
- Helping Kids After a School Shooting/American School Counselor Association (ASCA): https://www.schoolcounselor.org/school-counselors/professional-development/learn-more/shooting-resources
- How to talk to children about shootings: An age-by-age guide: https://www.today.com/parents/how-talk-children-about-shootings-age-age-guide-t59626
- Resources for Talking and Teaching about the School Shooting in Florida: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/learning/lesson-plans/resources-for-talking-and-teaching-about-the-school-shooting-in-florida.html
- School Shootings and Other Traumatic Events: How To Talk To Students: http://www.nea.org/home/72279.htm
