Mindset Matters

January 11, 2023

If arming teachers in the building, trusting policies or introducing “hardened” security measures prove to be unreliable, what else can prevent school shootings?

It is time schools give softening techniques a serious chance. Softening techniques include focusing on the emotional and social needs of students, thereby targeting the root of the problem: the mental health of would-be shooters.

“We should start asking why any individual would try to commit mass murder in a school setting, then understand that our world is so broken that individuals feel there is no hope. They feel like this is their only alternative is that they must do something so extreme to fill whatever void they’re looking to fill,” Doherty said.

A majority of students who plotted school attacks suffered from depression and anxiety from facing adverse childhood experiences, including substance abuse in the home, violence or parental incarceration. Considering the median age of school shooters is 16 years old, it is evident that these kids often lack an understanding of how to deal with their emotions in unpropitious life situations. Reaching their limit, left with no other option in their view, they turn that hate on others and often themselves, with around 34% of school shootings ending with suicide.

At around 11:45 a.m. Nov. 18, students at Marquette High School in Chesterfield were anonymously airdropped this message. Promptly after, students were dismissed early for the second day after a previous bomb threat. “Even after I knew my cousins had gotten out safely, I was still worried for them. Experiences like these can cause lifetime trauma, and while [my cousins] may be safe physically, I’m still concerned about their emotional well-being,” senior Emily Kerber said. (Courtesy of Thanvi Ravala)

When surrounded by hate, you learn to be hateful, but schools can change that. They can become a beacon of hope simply by helping students — by providing adequate counselors, mental health resources and a chance for students to be heard — learn how to be better human beings. Besides, it would also be strategic for schools to pay attention to students’ mental health as 50% of school shooters are former students of the school they attack and most had been bullied at school.

By no means does understanding the viewpoint of the shooter validate their actions. Instead, softening techniques allow schools to empathize with the shooters and channel their emotions toward a productive and positive outlet.

“It has become so normalized in American society for shooters to target schools that we start feeling numb to it. It shouldn’t be that way,” Doherty said. “Certain mental health programs can help remind us that feeling anger and pain is normal, but acting on it, so violently and cruelly, is absolutely unacceptable.”

Many schools have already implemented these widely supported softening techniques, and there are many options for schools that are interested. Socio-emotional learning (SEL) programs such as Positive Action and PATHS focus on preventing violence, bullying and substance abuse by developing school-family-community relations. In addition, schools can hire more counselors, psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers to help students improve their mental health.

At Parkway West, trusted adult surveys require students to pick their adult of choice in the building. When a concern arises, administrators and counselors can use this data to ensure safe people and safe spaces available to students. In addition, counselors integrate SEL lessons into their curriculum that they present throughout the year to grade levels. Care coordinator Rebecca Morris helps organize some of these preventive steps, as well as acts as a guide to students, parents or teachers who have concerns regarding a student’s well-being.

“We are encouraged as a staff to have open, frequent communication regarding students. Teachers, administrators and counselors work collaboratively to identify students who might be struggling with mental health concerns and connect them to appropriate resources,” Morris said. “We are very lucky here at West to have a caring group of teachers who really want to get to know their students and build relationships with them. As a team, we can work with students, families and outside providers to create a comprehensive plan of support for a struggling student that includes both in-school and out-of-school support.”

In recent years, gun violence has become more common, and school shootings pose a real threat to students. Yet, as schools, parents and politicians actively scramble for solutions, they ignore both the perpetrator and the victims of these crimes: the students. Although unscrupulous politicians may favor multi-billion dollar gun companies that fund them over non-voting students, by paying attention to the emotional, social and mental needs of students, schools should become topics of bridging gaps surrounding gun control instead of building them.