I celebrated my third birthday in prison this week, which regrettably corresponded with the tragic school shooting in Minneapolis. For the opening of school year celebration, students and staff at Annunciation Catholic School gathered in the adjoining Church to celebrate Mass. Then, the worst of the worst erupted…gunfire through the stained-glass windows of the Church. I lost my breath when I first heard this breaking news. Those young, innocent children and staff coming together in the most sacred worship of the Catholic Church only to be interrupted by horrific evil and intentional death, especially of two children. It seems school shootings are almost a necessary template toxically imbued in the American Dream: a significantly disturbed individual wreaks havoc, turmoil, and death on the most vulnerable and young. Calls for action trumpet through the media for reforming gun control, assess the mental health of individuals, laws must do more, and the mantra for “this should’ve never happened.” Sadly, I believe this school shooting to be the first major one for a Catholic school. *I don’t have access to internet resources to confirm this stat. Yet, after another school shooting at the start of the school year, what will change in these responses? Not much changed after Uvalde, Parkland, Sandy Hook…despite all the uproar and promises to “never forget” when those school tragedies occurred.
In my tenure as one of the assistant superintendents for the Archdiocese of Washington Catholic Schools, I worked tirelessly on school safety protocols, crisis intervention drills, and supporting preparatory responses. My last day of work consisted of a specialized meeting with state and local law enforcement officers to coordinate efforts to address potential school shootings. I drafted an efficient and lifesaving response for what students should do in the classroom if the situation occurred at school. In one of my first prison blog entries, I briefly reflected that these safety policies and responses are what I have been most proud of accomplishing during my time as an administrator, especially since I know they may/will save lives.
In mitigatory preparative efforts for students and staff, I advocated for independent professionals to survey and conduct a safety risk assessment of each school, but the legal team at the time nixed my attempts with liability concerns: they rationalized “what we don’t know can’t hurt us.” In other words, they conjured that the result of an assessment may show deficiencies that may not be fixed should a tragic event occur. Again, they justified that the ignorance would not yield as much liability as would knowing what could be done to promote safety. I never resolved in accepting this hogwash. I slowly introduced safety response protocols for each classroom by nuancing the best practices for schools, like the cataclysmic school shooting, which took years to implement, which was in 2018. From my experience and the onslaught of school shootings, I urge parents to hold schools more accountable for their children’s safety, know what the responses are, and drill, regardless of the private or public nature of the school.
While watching and listening to coverage of this school shooting, I noticed much of the Catholic community’s lack of representation, which is a shame. The bishop, superintendent, pastor of the church and school, principal, someone from the ranks should be present at the press conferences instilling confidence and pastoral presence. The absence of Catholic leadership is truly amiss, especially during this traumatically horrible time. I’ve also respected the politicized critique of “thoughts and prayers,” especially after the mayor of Minneapolis indicated “these students were literally praying.” Furthermore, much attention has been drawn to the shooter’s identity as transgender. I spent nearly a year working with a committee in the Archdiocese to devise a Catholic approach for transgendered students. After much theological and pastoral debate, the recommended policy was trashed with the rationale that a public policy would cause unwarranted attention from both sides, so best to sweep it under the rug, right? Moving forward with school safety protocols to mitigate school shootings, much could be, should be done…until the next shooting occurs and <>.
If you read this far, I really appreciate you checking on me and indulging my strong opinion about this unspeakable school tragedy. As always, thank you for your encouragement and continued support. Have a great week heading into the Labor Day Weekend AND continue to be mindful of any little miracle in your daily life 🙂