School should be safe

First of all, on the topic of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High shooting, my heart is broken. My heart breaks for the families of the victims, the friends of the victims, and the community surrounding this school.

Secondly, I am angry. This is not okay. This. Is. Not. Okay. Parents send their kids to school every single day thinking and trusting that it is a safe place for them to be. Kids go to school every day thinking that it is a safe place to be, a place to learn and to grow.

I am a high school student. We should not have to worry about whether our school will be the next one on the news because of a shooting. This should never be one of our concerns. Yet, for the past few days, this is all we have talked about.

School shootings are one of the many tragic events that, after a few weeks, fade into yesterday’s news. Nothing ever really changes. But I am begging my elected officials, do not forget about this. Do not let this fade into the background. Children are being killed in the last place that should be considered dangerous. How many more have to die for this nation to wake up and see the dangers right inside its borders? The families of these victims need more than “thoughts and prayers”; they need action. I am pleading with all of Congress, for the sake of the posterity of this country, do something. Gun control now!

TAYLOR BROWN

Springdale