Glimpse of education's future

To the editor:

What does the future of our education look like?

Will we be interrupted in class because there is a person with a gun in the building? Will we have to hide under the tables and hope for the best? Will we get our phones out so we can text our family “one last goodbye”?

Nobody should ever have to go through this. School is supposed to be a safe learning environment, not a place you should have to worry about every day. No one should have to think about whether or not it will be their last day at school.

It’s time to stop worrying and hoping for the best and make a difference. We can only spread so much awareness, but nothing is going to change unless we act on it.

All schools around the world should have a more advanced safety system like having metal detectors and lockdown drills practiced more often. Not only should we have a more advanced safety system, but there should be more resources where students and teachers can talk about how they feel — especially for people that have a mental health disorder.

More than 17 million kids struggle with a mental health disorder in America. Less than half of those kids are being treated correctly.

Schools should have more availability and give more opportunities to talk about mental health. Even though there is not much evidence that proves that people with a mental illness are a main cause of violence, there is a connection between kids with mental illnesses and mass shootings. The Sandy Hook, Parkland, Virginia Tech, and Santa Clarita shooters all suffered from mental illness, but unfortunately none of them were being treated.

It is important to pay attention and listen to your kids. There is no direct way to prevent school shootings, but it is important to pay attention to the signs. If your child seems depressed or interested in violence, encourage them to seek help.

As a community, we need to make a change and stand together to help prevent school shootings and to make society safer.

Olivia Santo