Since 2000, there have been 485 casualties due to mass school shootings. With all of the schools’ data combined, there is a 1 in 62.5 chance of a student being a part of a school shooting in their lifetime. In 2024 alone, a gun has been brandished or shot on school grounds 218 times (NCES).
Because of this, gun violence is one of the leading causes of fatalities among children and teens. Yet, with all these statistics combined, students barely bat an eye and even joke about such topics.
”I think part of the reason why is that you can pick up your phone right now and see something that is incredibly violent, so the novelty or the shock value that there is to seeing blood or seeing violence has gone because of our devices,” Principal Jagga Rent said. “I am not proud of our society for this in any way, but it is true.”
As a community, students have become severely desensitized to the mass violence that plagues the U.S. School shootings have become a common occurrence, ripping families apart and shocking communities. The commonality and constant coverage on social media have caused it to be considered normal; it is an accepted fear that most students live with.
”I think school shootings have become desensitized because it’s not shocking anymore. After all, there have been so many school shootings,” freshman Meera Khurshid said. “No one gets surprised anymore because of how many our country has had.”
”I am not surprised when I hear about them happening around our country,” sophomore Sebastian Granados said. “I think school shootings have become desensitized because of how common they have become. It shouldn’t be this common.”
Despite the desensitization toward school shootings, their effects remain. The sheer violence of such moments is enough to instill fear into the nation.
”I worry about school shootings because it could happen at any moment,” senior Nefertary Lara said. “I am not surprised at all when I hear about school shootings because guns are so accessible in this day and age. Only America talks about school shootings; other countries don’t have these conversations with their students.”
This topic relates to our school, as North Central is a school in the United States.
”Worry is a strong word, but I am concerned about them,” Rent said. “They are something you would be foolish not to have on your radar. I try not to live a life of worry though. We have solid plans and support, but gun violence is a reality and something that I think about.”
Security within our school has been an important topic of discussion since the stabbing three years ago. Students’ trust in the school declined as they became skeptical of their safety.
”I do not think our school is taking enough safety precautions,” said Lara. “I have seen so many people have weapons, but they hide them and are discreet. Our school should have those security alarms triggered.”
However, since the stabbing, the administration has been working to regain the trust of the community and re-instill a sense of security.
”There are a lot of things that happen behind the curtain that you don’t see, and there are things in front of the curtain that you do,” Rent said. “We have camera surveillance all day. People are looking at our cameras that you don’t see. I think a lot of it starts with building relationships with the students. My philosophy is that our students are our best security control and mitigators of safety because there are more of you than us.”
If students see something, they must say something.
“I don’t worry about school shootings happening at our school because I feel like North Central has picked itself up and we are getting back to where we can all trust each other,” Sophomore Kwalli Fox said.
“It is about the work underneath: making students feel so comfortable here that if something doesn’t seem right they’re going to tell us. It is not all about metal detectors and police. There are some alternative, less aggressive measures that we take to keep this place safe,” Rent said.
By fostering open communication and building trust within our school, Rent aims to ensure safety and empower students to be vigilant and proactive in creating a secure and supportive environment.
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES): https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/a01/violent-deaths-and-shootings
