Seeking change, and answers, after the latest tragedy

As our nation reels from another tragedy in another school, we need to consider some viable answers to this problem:

1. Mandate school uniforms. This monster in Florida was able to blend in with other students as they were attempting to flee. School uniforms would help police identify people who should not be on campus. During my teaching career, I advocated this policy many times. It fell on deaf ears.

2. Recruit veterans/police/security people to volunteer at schools. Yes, they would be armed (concealed), have some type of uniform, and be certified through comprehensive training.

3. Learn from the Israelis. They have locked doors, some teachers carry arms, and everyone entering a school is checked, especially backpacks. Have active school shooter drills, including how best to barricade a classroom. Bill Crow, Larkspur

School shooting sites pockmark our national map like a measles outbreak, and once again, many will ask “Why?” and others will say “Enough is enough!” I agree, enough is enough, but answering the “why” means we have to look back and accept what we see.

How was American life when there were no school shootings? We were a melting pot, with a singular American culture into which we assimilated proudly. Parents were absolutely in charge of their children, and if you got out of line, you got Dad’s belt, not a few minutes in a time-out chair. When you went to school, the teacher was absolutely in charge, and disobedience there got you the principal’s paddle, not a counseling plan and a discussion of your feelings. And while there, you learned that you were unique and special, made by God, not bubbled up from primordial goo. And God was spoken of in school, not treated like a dangerous virus that needs to be sanitized away. Then, when you got home, after you did your homework, you had quality TV and radio, and card games and ball games to play — you didn’t have games full of insane violence where your winning score came from how much blood you spilled or how much destruction you wrought.

When you recognize that things have to change, the wisest thing you can do is go back to when you know things worked. Jim Kiel, Aurora