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Health & Fitness

Bloomington's Proposed School Levy Solves Many Problems; But the Threat of Lone Gunmen Lingers

Last month I attended a meeting led by Bloomington school superintendent Les Fujitake to hear his arguments for why we should vote to grant him the authority to refinance our districts debt, bringing in millions of dollars for IT and security improvements to our schools.

He had a solid case.  The last levy increase didn’t work because the recession decimated home values and shortchanged our schools.  Other cities are investing far more in their education systems even if the request was passed.  We also need new computers to give kids the experience and skills they need, to pursue new teaching techniques, and to encourage parent engagement via online progress reports.  That alone is enough reason to support the levy.

Moreover, the levy also proposes to resolve several security gaps. The plan proposes to close down building vestibules and filter visitors through the main office.  Doors will fixed to lock from the inside, security cameras will be installed, and exterior doors wired to alert administrators when someone leaves the building.  Parents will be able to ban estranged spouses (or partners) from entering the school to see their kids if they think they are a threat. 

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For a proposal that is only allowed to tackle problems via infrastructure improvements, the levy will likely alleviate many problems.

However, the security component is only a Band-Aid covering the real problem: school shooters.  We invest all this money in safety, yet we no longer seem to be trying to actually stop kids from becoming gunmen in the first place. After all, before Columbine this phenomenon was virtually unknown. Nowadays you can almost expect an attacks every year or two, which is a travesty. Teachers I’ve talked to report spending more time drilling students on lone gunman attacks than on natural disasters like fire or tornados.  People used to believe that mankind would improve over time if it fought for it.  Have we lost faith in that hope and given up?

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Considering how many school shooters are suicidal, maybe we should examine Dr. Thomas Joiner’s theory of suicide to tackle the problem.  Joiner has argued that people commit suicide when they feel alone, like they are a burden on society, and are not afraid to die.  Mix this with hatred of others and you might get a lone gunman.  While it’s too much to expect local school districts to fix the gun problem that plagues the nation as a whole, maybe they ought to institute programs and activities to convince the wayward that they are not alone, that they have skills and traits people find meaningful, and that their present troubles will pass. It could help prevent the tragic downward spiral we see so often.

And this is only one possible solution; others surely exist out there. Hopefully  the next time the school district asks for more money they do more than just treat the symptoms of the problem, but the problem itself.  

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