The Columbine High School mass murder as it relates to other schools around the nation, and as it relates to Fayette County schools in particular, prompts this letter.

The serious and tragic nature of this most recent school shooting cannot be overstated. Students of Columbine High School, their families, indeed the entire metropolitan Denver area are mourning, questioning and, understandably, fearful. The same sense of grief, questioning, and varying degrees of fear extends from Littleton to every community in America.

I have a wife and three children who are in three separate Fayette County schools every school day of every school year. Can it happen here? Will it happen here? How can it be prevented? Is there a way to “see it coming?” And if there is, will we see it? And if we do observe obvious danger signals or warnings, will we be “permitted” by parents to take the strong actions indicated to protect our students, teachers, and staff?

I state that I support empowering Fayette County school administrators and teachers to employ the strongest measures possible to stop even the smallest hint of school violence. In my opinion “hints” include not only overt threats, but actions concerning weapons, shootings, bombs, hostage-taking or any other act of violence perpetrated by students as a “prank” or “practical joke.” The subject is dark, somber, serious, absolutely out of place, and is an affront to and abusive of the other students, the staff, and the administration.

Students are subject to disciplinary action for using a cough drop. A single aspirin is treated as a “controlled substance.” Today's pervasive and invasive drug culture necessitates such alertness and reaction from school systems. Any threat of violence of any nature, whether real or implied or “in jest,” must be met swiftly and certainly with the strongest possible actions by our school system.

Last Wednesday, less than 24 hours after the Columbine High massacre, a male student boarded my oldest daughter's school bus wearing a dark trench coat. Upon reaching the back of the bus he declared that he was going to shoot everyone.

On Friday a student arrived at one of our Fayette County middle schools with bag which he said contained a bomb. In reality neither student possessed a weapon - they were just “joking.” Is there really a strong enough way to say that such a thing is not a joking matter?

For such offenses stringent rules must apply. They must be met with strong measures. Verbal reprimands are insufficient. In-school-suspensions are a “joke.” Three-day out-of-school suspensions are “vacations” and are utterly inconsequential to students who display a predilection for violence. Neither are such light and easy consequences appropriate for students who are apparently so devoid of any feeling of sorrow or remorse over mass murders or who are so wholly indifferent to the feelings, concerns, and fears of so many over the subject — and the reality — of school violence that they would be motivated to “pretend” to be perpetrating such acts.

The pretending is happening now. Is it possible that the more pretending that occurs, and tolerated, that the more likely it is to lead to very real, dangerous, and potentially tragic results? It is my opinion that mere chastisement for “pretending” is tantamount to tolerance. Controlled substances are not topics for school comedy. Weapons are not subjects for campus high jinks. And today any sort of threat or appearance of potential violence, small or large scale, must not be winked away.

At this writing I am as yet unfamiliar with what county-wide policies exist, or are under consideration, concerning such threats or ”pranks.” I hope the policies are, or will be, strong and vigorously enforced. I encourage our school superintendent, the board of education, and our school administrators to be vigilant and unapologetic in taking the strongest possible stand for safety in our schools and for a sense of security for those who occupy them.

Our role as parents is so obvious — take the time; know your children. Be involved, proactive examples of responsibility, sensibility, and care.

Steve G. Hester
Fayetteville

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