Sometimes

There is no question the situation these past few days in Hastings have been terrible and frightening and scary. We would like to believe those situations do not happen and never will. Unfortunately, we live in a time of easy guns, angry folks and too many who believe that violence solves it all. And those are the adults.

The Hastings experience is tragic but with a fortunate ending. It did not have to end that way. That is why we drill and train. That is why we try to take precautions.

I did notice the reported statement of the one mother who was angry that the school did not notify her quicker. I will guarantee you that if such a thing happens in our building (heaven forbid) I will deal with the safety of your children before I find a computer and post a blog about the details.

We must pay attention to all the various factors. Guns in the home need to be locked and safe from easy access. We need to pay attention to the needs of all our children. They do not carry around signs that say -- I am the one who will cause you problems. We need to be concerned, every day, about the safety of our children and their relationships with one another and the outside world.

This is a complicated world and gets more tense almost daily. I sometimes think that our only hope is that these children grow up quickly to resolve this mess we have caused. We need to spend more time working on solutions than blame. Finding the problems is the easy part. I can read the paper and figure out what is not working the way it should (based on my view of the world). But the paper or those quoted therein doesn't offer me too many solutions. Just saying NO is not an answer.

We will continue to monitor our hallways and building for the safety of our students and staff. We need the help and support of every student and family and community member to make it a safe and healthy place for all. Do we care about one another? Are we concerned about the well being of all our children and families? Are in involved in creating a positive learning environment for all children?