Editor,
As reported in the Washington Post on January 14, 2024, Dan Marburger, a high school principal in Iowa died. On January 4, Principal Marburger put himself in the line of fire of the 17 year old school shooter who killed one student, shot six others, and died from a self-inflicted gunshot.
The Iowa presidential caucuses and severe winter weather quickly buried another public school shooting in America.
Former President Trump commented: “It’s just horrible, so surprising to see it here. But(we) have to get over it, we have to move forward.”
A “moving forward” mentality isn’t effective. That guarantees a predictable response for more legislation, metal detectors, and security guards.
While they might be appreciative of prayers and condolences, loved ones left behind are weary of failed political promises. More importantly, their hearts never are able to “move forward” from such senseless, tragic losses.
Our national negligence in these shootings is grounded in our inability to get at the heart of the matter—the dangerous, silent erosion of our families.
I’d wager that Principal Marburger and his colleagues across America know that erosion firsthand.
To stop school shootings, we must understand the deterioration of our families and its impact on schools.
This is an urgent matter.
Our failure to respond will only ensure more school shootings.
Bill Pike
Richmond, Virginia
Submitted to the Washington Post 1/15/24
Not accepted for publication
Editor,
As reported in the New York Times, Dan Marburger, a high school principal in Iowa has died. Principal Marburger put himself in the line of fire of the 17 year old school shooter who killed one student, shot six others, and died from a self-inflicted gunshot on January 4.
Sadly, the Iowa presidential caucuses and harsh winter weather quickly buried another public school shooting in America.
Commenting about the shooting, former President Trump stated: “It’s just horrible, so surprising to see it here. But(we) have to get over it, we have to move forward.”
All school shootings are horrible. No community is immune, and yet, we have become routinely proficient in “getting over it and moving forward.”
Our national negligence in these shootings is grounded in our inability to get at the heart of the matter—the dangerous, silent erosion of our families.
I suspect Principal Marburger and his colleagues across America know firsthand the severity of that erosion.
If America has any desire to stop school shootings, we’d be wise to quickly understand the impact that the deterioration of our families is having on our schools.
Bill Pike
Richmond, Virginia
Submitted to the New York Times 1/15/24
Not accepted for publication
Editor,
On the evening of June 6, 2023, I was getting ready to have dinner with neighbors. They broke the news to me about the shooting following the graduation for Huguenot High School. My heart hurt.
For 31 years, I worked in Virginia’s public schools. I participated in multiple graduations.
Preparing for a graduation is hard work. It requires attention to detail, practice, and ensuring that all graduates have met the state’s requirements to receive a diploma. Plus, this is supposed to be a special event for the graduates and their families. Graduating from high school should not be marred by another senseless, devastating shooting.
Yet, that is what we have become. A society where our problems are solved by firing guns at people killing and wounding at will. No community is immune. No environment is sacred.
Sadly, it appears to me that our divisions are going to keep us from finding the courage to work together to stop this madness.
From the released report about the shooting, it will be very easy to point fingers of blame. Yes, there were blunders. The real question to ask is how will graduation ceremonies in June 2024 be different?
School systems and school boards can invest all they want in updated security technology and the protocols associated with them. However, there is another essential investment—human infrastructure.
School systems and school boards must invest in the human infrastructure related to the daily operation in a school.
Schools can’t have leaders who “check out.” School staffs must be proficient in implementing policies for all students related to health, safety, and academic needs. Clear communication in meeting these needs is essential for school staffs, students, and parents.
June 6 was a failure.
Failing to learn from that heartbreak is unacceptable.
Bill Pike
Richmond, Virginia
Submitted to the Richmond Times-Dispatch 1/18/24
Not accepted for publication
Author’s note: As a retired public school educator, I still fill strongly about the challenges our schools face. I hope we will come to recognize and understand the impact violence has in our schools.
might be baloney 