SPANISH FORK, Utah — Nancy Miramontes had 30 seconds to find the gunman. The Utah school psychologist weaved through a maze of dusty halls before spotting him in the corner of a classroom, holding a gun to a student's head. She took a deep breath and fired three shots, the...
Some Polls Show Parents' Growing Fears of Dangers at School
The deadly attack at Columbine High School in 1999 seemed to usher in a new era of school shootings. Two decades later, polls consistently capture growing fears among American parents that their children face imminent danger whenever they go to school. Those fears have only intensified since attacks at an...
One Year Later, Parkland Shooting Disrupts School Life
OKEECHOBEE, Fla. — Some students have difficulty trusting classmates outside their circle. Parents say interactions with school staff are more impersonal. Teachers worry that added security detracts from learning. The Parkland massacre a year ago upended school life across Florida. In the year since a gunman fatally shot 14 students...
Trump’s Safety Panel to Revoke School Discipline Rules
The Trump administration on Tuesday moved to roll back an Obama-era policy that was meant to curb racial disparities in school discipline but that critics say left schools afraid to take action against potentially dangerous students. The recommendation was among dozens issued in a new report by Trump's federal school...
What Are Fresno Area Schools Doing To Keep Students Safe?
Student safety is top of mind for Fresno area school districts as they prepare for the return of students from summer break. Security cameras increasingly are on the front lines of defense in preventing mass shootings. But district leaders also are stepping up training for active shooter situations and strengthening...
Bulletproof Backpacks Are Hot Ticket For New School Year
Backpacks are usually used by students to hold things like pencils, notebooks, and textbooks. But some students returning to school this month will tote backpacks with a feature that's a sign of our violent times. Their backpacks are capable of stopping bullets. Due to the increase in school shootings in the...
School Shooting Protests Planned, But Students Discouraged from Skipping Class
The three largest school districts serving Fresno say they support the First Amendment, but warn students there are consequences if they skip class in protest. Wednesday is the scheduled National Walkout Day to remember the 17 victims killed in the school shooting Feb. 14 in Parkland, Florida. According to Fresno...
'Mass Shooting Generation' Students Fed Up With Inaction
Perhaps many of us were wrong about Newtown in December 2012. That’s when we thought the mass shooting of 6- and 7-year-old children in Connecticut would translate into the seminal moment for change as we plod interminably through the polarizing gun debate. We thought Capitol Hill Republicans and Democrats alike...
10 Ways To Prevent School Shootings Without Waiting for Congress
After a shooter killed 17 people at a Florida high school, many have expressed frustration at the political hand-wringing over gun control and calls for prayer. As a parent, I understand the desire for practical responses to school shootings. I also absolutely believe the government should do more to prevent...
17 More Shooting Deaths and Still No Common Ground
Let's consider the possibility that both sides — though they are a thousand miles apart — make cogent points in America's torrid debate about gun violence and mass shootings. The "thoughts and prayers" utterances by Second Amendment espousing politicians neither address the problem nor provide even an ounce of consolation...