Logan School District responds to Texas shooting
**Editor’s note: This article was updated for clarity.
Nineteen fourth graders and two teachers were shot and killed on May 24 at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas by an 18-year-old gunman.
While this tragedy happened 1,361 miles away from home in Logan, it has left a mark locally and nationally.
Many have taken this time to spread the word about violence, denounce mass shootings and hate crimes, and promote kindness.
An influencer and former bachelorette on the TV show, “The Bachelorette,” Kaitlyn Bristowe took to her Instagram account to share her thoughts.
“My heart will forever bleed for the parents who sent their kids to school this morning and eight hours later are planning for their funerals,” Bristowe said. “How many more lives have to be taken before we agree that we must change? I’m scared every day for my unborn kids to go to school and for once I’m not being dramatic.”
Others have taken it as a lesson to be learned from and decided to take matters into their own hands.
Stephanie Pritchett made a post that went viral on Facebook about a man she saw standing outside the doors of her daughter’s elementary school in Killeen, Texas. After calling the school, she found out the man had volunteered to stand guard over the school.
“I think it’s very courageous and it puts some of our hearts and minds at ease,” Pritchett wrote. “I wanted to shake his hand, but I didn’t want to interrupt as he was doing a job. He needs to be recognized.”
The majority of people all over the country, including many in our own community, have also taken it as a time to reflect on the value of human life.
Logan School District Executive Director Shana Longhurst said that many students and parents feel the heartbreak of what happened and wants them to know they can still feel comfortable at school.
“Safety of our students and staff is an extremely high priority of ours and we work hard to provide safe and supportive environments at all times, but especially when these tragic events occur,” Longhurst said.
The news has broken the hearts of not only students, but also people like Shannon Rhodes, a first-grade teacher at Edith Bowen Laboratory School, who has had the shooting as a constant thought in her mind.
Knowing of these potential struggles, Longhurst sent out an email to Logan School District families addressing the shooting, offering resources and assuring safety protocols are in place.
The email read, “As we reflect, we are extremely grateful for the procedures all of our schools have in place and the supportive relationship we have with local law enforcement and emergency response agencies.”
Principal and director of Edith Bowen, Nathan Justis, also sent an email to the families of each student.
“Our hearts have broken with the news of the tragedy at Robb Elementary in Texas and our thoughts are with all affected. It feels to me like such a thing should not exist, but sadly it does,” Justis said in the email.
In an interview with Justis, he mentioned the school had their own safety procedures but did not feel comfortable discussing specifics with those outside of parents or USU stakeholders.
General precautions can include active shooter drills, guest check-ins and safety plans to help parents feel safe with their children at school.
But nevertheless, some are arguing that regardless of prevention, the real problem lies in the weapon.
The Texas Tribune reported that after the shooting, Texas Democrats pushed harder for tighter gun control laws and wrote a letter to the governor demanding a session to pass new legislation on the matter.
The article explained that in the letter, these 13 Democrats wrote, “‘‘Thoughts and prayers are not enough. We need evidence-based, common sense gun safety laws.’”
The letter proposed raising the minimum age to purchase a gun from 18 to 21, requiring universal background checks, implementing laws to remove firearms from anyone who poses imminent danger, requiring a waiting period after the purchase of a gun, and regulating civilian ownership of high-capacity magazines.
But regardless of opinion and politics, schools feel an obligation to keep their students safe from any danger, especially elementary schools.
The top two deadliest U.S. school shootings have both been at elementary schools, including Uvalde, ranked at number two, and Sandy Hook Elementary School, ranked at number one, where 26 people were shot and killed in 2012.
But we’ve seen mass shootings targeted at older groups too. According to the New York Times, the third and fourth ranked deadliest U.S. school shootings were both at high schools. Seventeen were killed at Douglas High School in 2018, and 13 were killed at Columbine High School in 1999.
One common theme is that all four of these shootings were committed by males under the age of 21.
With this apparent pattern, some people believe that other than gun laws, communities may be able to do something to prevent such devastation from occurring.
“I believe research shows that schools with positive cultures and relationships with students are less likely to experience such tragedies,” Justis said. “A strong investment in positive relationship building would be a good place to start.”
For Edith Bowen, it brings into question whether being on a college campus increases the chance for a school shooting, considering that first year students and sophomores tend to fall into that age range. However, there is no exact data to back up such a conclusion.
Justis assured that just like any other school, Edith Bowen will continue to do all they can to make every student and staff member feel protected.
One advantage Edith Bowen does have is a close relationship with USU police. Because of that, USU officers increased their supervision during the last week of school and were able to provide check-ins.
And now that school has ended and summer break has begun, parents, students and faculty members can feel more at ease with a break before returning to a classroom.
-Jacee.Caldwell@usu.edu
Featured photo by: Paige Johnson