You know the more I see gun violence among our youth, the more aware I become that the problems we face lies from our failures to handle the small things at home. However, as parents you know you must send your child to school. It’s not an option to keep them out of school because the law requires them to receive an education.
So, as reluctant as you may be, you do what the law requires and pray and hope for the best. Yet, as the years go by, we as a society see that the educational system and the way it is set up is failing the children they are required to educate. That begs the questions of why and when are we as a society going to say enough is enough and hold the educational system responsible for their failures.
Yes, parents have the responsibility to instill kindness, respect, and discipline in their children. But again, once that child is at school that child then becomes the school’s responsibility. This notion gun violence erupts without any warning is simply not the case, especially in most of these headline cases. We see that these kids typically face bullying from students.
We see the administrations failures to care for the children who are at the forefront of the violence that erupts out of desperation to resolve their problem by any means necessary. And in some cases, the violence turns internal in which the headline is suicide. Yet, the irony is we weep for those lost, while demonizing the ones who suffered daily in silence.
So, though the police claimed to “pour cold water” on students bullying the teen because there are “no reports” the police in this case need to stop it. Because guess what rape happens every day in our country. Is it report every time? The ncadv.org/statistics states clearly domestic violence happens to 20 people EVERY minute, but are all domestic violence incidents reported?
If you ask me, I believe the teens, because kids know what’s happening, though they may not intervene or be brave enough to report it. They know, and I speak from personal experience from inside of schools in a professional capacity across different locations and from my days as a student. And just as an adult can fear retaliation, so can children.
Just as an adult can feel overwhelmed with knowing who to trust and who will believe them, so can children. Just like adults try to find ways to cope, while suffering silently so can children. And in that regard, ADMINISTRATORS FAIL THEM AGAIN!!! These children are seeking peace of mind! These children are seeking justice for their pain! These children are seeking love and acceptance! These children are seeking to have their voice heard!
For whatever the case may be the place that the law forces them to go becomes a place of torture, torment, and traumatic experiences that cause them pain, agony, depression, and hopelessness. In this most recent case, in Michigan, we see the law confirm they will charge this teen as an adult. Yes, I understand he was wrong. Guess what, so were the teens who bullied him and so is everyone else who failed him and disregarded his cry for help.
Where was his intervention? Where was the concern for his life? Where was the alarm for his mental stability? When did we become a society so gripped and driven by the federal dollars given for attendance that we look the other way to do all we can to keep children in school who are destructive and disruptive to the learning process and to the well-being of others?
And out of the DA’s own mouth she admits a teacher knew the teen needed help by the image he drew on his desk BEFORE the shooting happened. At some point the schools need to admit they dropped the ball themselves. Did administrators search his backpack? No. So they failed!! Did administrators have time to search his backpack?
Yes, but they didn’t. So, they failed!! Could administrators demand the parents take him home until they could prove he was getting mental help? I’m sure they could have, but again, they didn’t persistent. So, again they failed!! Now, they the DA says it’s the parents’ fault for not preventing the lives lost. Really???
What about the school’s failure though? I know we want to be mad at this teen and while we’re all entitled to our feelings there are several people who failed this young man. However, clearly, in my opinion, no one at his school was concerned enough to search his backpack themselves or demand he get mental help.
As we know there’s always more THAN one side to a story and I wonder what he’d say if we ask him to tell his story. I wonder what we would have seen if we could have shadowed him for a day. Because just maybe then we could see he’s not a terrorist, but tired and reasoned that violence is the solution. So, my call to action for us all is to teach the children in our lives kindness and compassion by the way we treat others.
~If the educational decision-makers don’t learn to look beyond momentary financial gains, we’ll lose what matters most and that’s our children and their life and well-being has no price tag. ~
~EXALTED ROYALTY~ A C. E. SAM COMPANY
Supplementary Article Documentation Used to Compose Today’s Blog Below:
https://kfdm.com/news/nation-world/parents-of-michigan-school-shooting-suspect-captured-arraigned
https://www.ncadv.org/statistics
If you or a loved one needs help, HELP is available:
Stop Bullying NOW https://www.stopbullying.gov/resources/get-help-now
Mental Health Help https://www.mentalhealth.gov/get-help
Suicide Assistance https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
National Domestic Violence https://www.thehotline.org/
