Learning in fear: the emotional vulnerability of children in schools

Sandy Hook Elementary School, December 14, 2012: 28 children dead. Stoneman Douglas High School February 14, 2018: 17 dead. Santa Fe High School, May 18, 2018: 10 dead. Oxford High School, November 30, 2021: 4 dead. 

As these events, irrationally and unsafely normalized by a tired society, spread closer and closer to home, questions must be asked. With the constitutional right to bear arms, almost any American can obtain a gun: this has allowed for a gun violence epidemic to unfold in our nation. Minor one-on-one disputes and mass homicides—whether you believe that guns are the problem, or that people are the problem, it can be commonly agreed upon that this, in itself, is a problem. 

In recent years, as guns have forced their way into the classroom, legislation regarding gun control and mental health has piled upon the desks of politicians. Media outlets run stories about these tragic events, and children are warned of the threats at the dinner table by parents. The harsh reality is that our nation is at a point where unnecessary, life-threatening events have been destigmatized and normalized in the place our country’s youth are supposed to learn and feel safe. 

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an illness common among veterans and is defined by the American Psychiatric Association as “a disorder that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event.” Sometimes people talk about PTSD in reference to child trauma or physical abuse, but rarely is the condition considered amongst students. As dark as it may seem, PTSD applies to some kids in our classrooms, almost as equally as it applies to some men and women in our military. 

Politicians in our nation fret aimlessly on how to fix these issues, instead of asking why they occur. This has forced the job of safety into parents, teachers, and administrators. Lockdown drills, emergency planning, safety equipment—our schools are doing the best they can to protect us physically. But what has been done to help us mentally and emotionally?

Within days of the one year anniversary of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, two students took their lives. Suicides also occured after the shootings of Virginia Tech, Columbine, and Sandy Hook. Additionally, the National Center for PTSD says that nearly 28 percent of people who have witnessed a mass shooting will develop acute PTSD. 

Research also suggests that victims of shootings, such as the ones occurring in our schools, are more likely to develop mental health problems, when compared to those who have experienced other forms of trauma, such as natural disasters. 

Dr. Lynsey Miron conducted a study after the 2008 shootings on the Northern Illinois University campus, his alma mater. Despite many survivors displaying resiliency or short-term stress, almost 12 percent reported consistent PTSD. A number, according to the American Psychological Association, that is larger than the average prevalence of PTSD among trauma survivors as a whole.

If PTSD and mental health issues are common among survivors, why is more not done to ensure the betterment and well-being of said survivors? 

The answer is desensitization. When SJHS had its very own shooting threat, there were three types of people you may have ran into: the terrified student, reacting justifiably, an indifferent student, who was simply glad to have a day off, or the jokester. Two of these three possibilities further illustrate the problem.

Our society, through increased occurrence and widespread access to information, has become desensitized to violence in schools. For many, it was not a scary day. It was simply a day off. And if we have people who consider the safety and livelihood of our nation’s future a matter of indifference or joke, it is understandable, as little has been done to help them. Furthermore, because this is not the fault of our schools, it is hard for them to do much more to ensure our physical and emotional well-being without becoming overbearing in the quest for safety. 

To learn about what is being done to help, the Wind-Up spoke to Mrs. Tracy Wagner. 

“We have provided many lessons during advisory and in classrooms throughout the years related to mental health. We have also had guest speakers regarding mental health-related topics,” Mrs. Wagner said. Additionally, Mrs. Wagner told us that the school has provided information regarding school safety during advisory.  

All in all, this issue is not something that will be solved easily. Gun violence in schools is becoming increasingly prevalent, and we will not know the full effects this has until our generation has passed. During and after these scary moments, everyone will react differently. Whether you are stoic with great fortitude, develop mental health issues or PTSD, or are somewhere in the between—there is no unjustified reaction, and this personalization means that everyone must seek the help that they, as an individual, need.