SCHOOL: Plea for safety

When I went to school…

We worried if our hair and our clothes looked good, if a cool boy or girl liked us, who we were going to the prom with and bonfires before Friday night football games. We had Fire, Air Raid, Duck and Cover, Earthquake and Tornado drills. When did we start having CODE RED, and ACTIVE SHOOTER DRILLS? Was it Columbine, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, Freeman, or our latest claim to fame, FLORIDA? Will THAT be the straw that breaks the camel’s back?

I have four LIVING children. What can I possibly say to console the parents, brothers, sisters, family members and friends who are grieving? “Oh, it will change,” Columbine happened in 1999; we were outraged. Almost 20 years have passed. Fast forward to Sandy Hook, 2012, again we cry FOUL. What have we done? NOTHING?

Now, some famous person in Washington, D.C., advocates EDUCATORS should be ARMED. My daughter is ARMED, she’s ARMED with a master’s degree in special education. I want children to play on playgrounds, not in rooms behind a Kevlar barrier. I don’t want to see my grandchildren dressed in Kevlar vest/ pink or blue.

Nathan Hale said, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” His choice. What CHOICE did our children have? None.

Please, we must do something. These kids are asking for our help. Where do our lawmakers and president send their children to school? Are they worried about GUNS?

JANET HONAKER

Post Falls