School Shootings on the Rise
“Excuse the interruption, at this time we will be having a lockdown,” says a voice over the intercom.
The teacher locks the door and pulls the shades, while the kids condense into the corner of the room, farthest away from the entrance.
The students don’t take the drill seriously, since they’ve done this many times before. They talk amongst themselves and sit on their phones while the lockdown drill occurs.
The main purpose of a lockdown, according to school officials, is to protect the students from an intruder that has entered the building. Lockdowns are also useful for medical emergencies that shouldn’t be seen by students in the hallways.
“It is hard to say whether students and staff would be ready for a lockdown drill,” said South Kingstown High School principal, Robert Mezzanotte. “The key is to be ready for anything.”
The school’s crisis team, made up of administrators, faculty, clinical staff and support staff, coordinate lockdown drills for the school. These people are prepared for any tragic or stressful incidents that may occur in school.
As for the teachers and students, lockdown drills serve as the only form of preparation and happen twice a year. Whereas fire drills happen 11 times a year.
Laws require school administrators to attend a safety conference each year to discuss new programs and adjustments.
“A lockdown drill is more simple to implement, than a fire drill,” said Kevin Cronin, a former assistant principal at South Kingstown High School. “The state could mandate more if it was necessary.”
We may see more lockdown drills in the future, according to research done by Harvard.
On average, a public mass shooting has occurred every 172 days since 1982, but the intervals between shootings are becoming shorter. Since September 6, 2011, there have been 14 public mass shootings every 172 days, as reported in an article by Amy P. Cohen, Deborah Azrael, and Matthew Miller.
Every decade since 1900, the number of school shootings appear to increase, but what causes this? What makes kids, or even adults, enter a school building and cause such a tragedy?
“I think it has something to do with mental illness,” said Mezzanotte. “It’s a part of society, and all over the news.”
Frank Robertz, a criminologist and director of the Institute for Violence Prevention and Applied Criminology, wrote an article for Scientific American online magazine that explains the fantasies that humans experience as a part of everyday life.
“Of course, dreams and daydreams sometimes have a dark and violent cast to them,” said Robertz. “Almost everyone has imagined vengeful scenarios, even murderous ones, after particularly frustrating experiences.”
“Once inspired,” Robertz added, “a disturbed adolescent may slowly tumble in to an increasingly elaborate fantasy world.”
Such a fantasy world, experts say, can revolve around past shootings or suicidal acts that have been publicized or sensationalized on the news. Psychologists call this the “Werther Effect”, which can trigger an increase in similar acts after the attack.
“Would-be school shooters seem to advance ineluctably toward their idols,” said Robertz. “Copycats often wear similar clothing and choose the same weapons as those of their heroes.”
Potential shooters also frequently possess the desire to outdo their predecessors by killing more people. Access to weapons also raises major concerns, since this allows them to make their fantasy a reality.
There exists no specific type of person that becomes a school shooter, but there are common links between them.
“Violent offenders are also often pessimistic about their future and have low self-esteem,” said Robertz. “Many have been harassed, bullied or rejected by classmates, suspended from school, or pressured by teachers.”
These aspects cause stress that makes the adolescent feel that violence is the only way to gain recognition and respect, leading them to act out.
Psychiatric help is offered to those experiencing hardships or having trouble overcoming their violent thoughts or tendencies.
Written by Ashley Kisilywicz and Kelsey Simmons
