A Growing Crisis

The 2024-2025 school year is now in session for every kid in America. Since August 6th there have been 46 school shootings this school year. Gun control has been an issue for over a decade now. Each year the number of school shootings has increased with the highest number so far being in 2023 with 349 incidents including gang violence and other incidents. According to Sandy Hook Promise, a nonprofit organization that was created in 2013 after the tragedy of Sandy Hook, “Since the Columbine High tragedy in 1999, more than 338,000 students in the U.S have experienced gun violence in school.”

On September 11, Waukee superintendent Dr. Brad Buck sent out an email talking about non-credible threats over rumors about a possible school shooting at a Waukee school. This raises the question, of what Waukee is doing to prevent such a tragedy.  When asked about how Waukee staff is preventing school shootings, principal Judi Roland stated “We are all focused on safety, we have people monitoring our cameras/ entrances, the staff also goes through training. We always make sure to be aware and listen and to never take anything for granted.”

Schools across the nation have put rules into effect to try to stop school shootings yet every year the number of tragedies seems to grow from tall fences to locking the doors during the school day to even arming teachers. School shootings are only a problem in the U.S. with Williaiam Pelfrey Jr stating “school shootings rarely happen elsewhere in the world. Eighty or Ninety percent of all school shootings happen in the U.S.” The U.S. is one of the only countries in the world that has this big of a problem with school shootings and it’s alarming.

These school shootings are harming America’s future kids with students being affected by school shootings, they are at a higher risk to never graduate high school or go to college. Kids affected also see a drop in grade scores. According to the K-12 school shooting database in 2022 there have been 273 victims who have been shot on school property. In researching for this article, I was surprised to find out that the federal government does not keep track of school shootings across America.  

Another way we can keep WHS safe is if you see something or hear something, tell an adult in the building even if you think it’s a non-credible threat. If you’d rather be anonymous then you can call 515-987-9000 or if it’s a non-emergency situation you can report it to 515-222-3321.