More guns? Bulletproof backpacks? Metal detectors? More than that, says a Lake-area superintendent, what our schools need now is love.
Morgan County R-II Superintendent Joyce Ryerson recently wrote of the need for love and respect in her monthly letter to the district. Her exhortation came on the heels of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, in Parkland, Fla., but it also had a context closer to home: a worrying social media post by a former student.
On Sunday, March 4, Ryerson issued a statement informing the community she had received a copy of an alarming social media post from a former student.
According to Ryerson, the individual had not been a student on the campus since approximately 2007, and they were unsure as to his whereabouts. “The post the former student made expressed anger towards the school district for perceived past slights and used language that could potentially be a threat,” Ryerson said.
In the statement, Ryerson reported that after receiving the information, she contacted local law enforcement and they began an investigation. It was determined that the individual meant no violent intent. “I am relieved to know there is no credible threat to our district existing this evening, and I am appreciative to our staff, parents and community who communicate these concerning things to us," she said. "We take any potential threat to our district very seriously and in today’s society, I encourage you to contact us if you ever have any concerns of this nature. It is only through these partnerships that we will be able to prevent a violent occurrence from happening on our campus, as have happened elsewhere across the country.”
In her monthly communication to the district, Ryerson stated that in light of the recent events that happened in Florida on Wednesday, Feb. 14, she had been reflecting on what message she wanted to send.
"It saddens me greatly that we live in the greatest country in the world and experience the greatest freedoms; yet in today’s society we must worry about the safety of our children and teachers in a public school," she said.
"These types of events have become all too commonplace and, every time, we review – once again – our armed intruder procedures with children in order to help us feel prepared as possible for some horrible event that we hope will never happen.
"While I believe that reviewing, planning and drilling for these events are necessary; it has occurred to me that what our world really needs is a little more love; love of our fellow man, respect of differing opinions and a listening adult on [whom] children can depend. This is what I believe our district truly has to offer our students."
But Ryerson is still helping the district prepare for the worst. "Last week, the administrative team and I met with our local police department to once again review our safety plans and procedures and to discuss what more can be done to ensure a safe climate here at school," she said. She has invited law enforcement to attend the next school board meeting, so they can have a conversation about what they are doing correctly, and what they can do better.
“We’ve been meeting weekly with law enforcement officers reviewing processes and procedures and we have identified areas we could do better, such as making sure doors are not left propped open by students entering and exiting buildings,” Ryerson said. “A lot of schools are having conversations about whether or not they should be arming people who work at school, not just resource officers.”
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The district is also considering having a security audit performed by an insurance brokerage to see how the district stacks up, and then make recommendations. Among the district's main new safety considerations: adding additional resource officers, offering self-defense classes and starting a new educational program like DARE where students and law enforcement officials work together to build trust and relationships.
"There isn’t one magic bullet," Ryerson said. “You have to look at it holistically. I really feel there are broken people and we have to, as a society, care about people again and pay attention to each other. Part of paying attention is realizing when something is not right with someone, and talking to them, and finding out if they are okay and then letting other people know about it... In the past, people have hesitated to report suspicion, no one wants to cause trouble. But, when you look statistically at school shootings that have happened, almost always someone knew, kids knew, a rumor, or someone saw something posted on social media. The only way to stop it is to report it before it happens.”
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The Morgan County School District was one of the earliest schools to conduct ALICE and active shooter scenario trainings after the Sandy Hook school shootings. Currently, MCR2 high school students are trained in active shooter scenarios annually. "Those trainings are not appropriate for elementary age students. They cry when we conduct bus evacuations," Ryerson added. "We are not sure middle school students are ready for that level of scenario. However, after the shooting in the middle school in Florida, our students are telling us they would like to train and practice and know what they should do. That is a shift, not a good one, but they are taking notice."
She says students also are having conversations about wanting to remember what happened in Florida and elsewhere. The district is in the process of planning an event, such as a balloon release or a moment of silence in memory of the people who died. "Kids feel pretty deeply, and we need a healthy way to deal with grief and fear, rather than having kids just walk out," Ryerson said. "I think that would be insulting to teacher after working hard to prepare lessons. We are looking at doing something positive."
For an example of love, Ryerson says people need look no further than "our Morgan County R-II students, staff, and community," who she points out have rallied around the family of a local woman who is battling cancer.
"It shouldn’t take something horrible like cancer for people in our lives to feel an outpouring of encouragement," Ryerson said. "I can’t help but think if our world at large felt this loved and supported that we would not see such violent acts committed.
"I challenge each and every one of you to look around and make sure your neighbors, students, and those you meet, feel similar love and support. There isn’t usually a lot that is positive about Facebook; but I recently saw a post that truly struck me: 'Social isolation is one of the worst things you can do to a human being; I don’t care how old you are.'
"The people who commit these acts are broken and lonely people. I truly believe in order to keep these violent acts from happening we need first to treat the feeling of isolation that exists. Everyone needs to know that they are not alone."
