School Shootings, more common than ever.

October 19, 2007 Chrissy

A school shooting happened at the SuccessTech Academy high school in Cleveland and it was another devastating tragedy that is starting to become more common among high schools around the country. This school shooting was the sixteenth school related shooting in the United States this year alone.

The shooter’s name was Asa Coon, who was a freshman this year at SuccessTech Academy. Coon brought two handguns, ammunition, and three knives with him to school last Wednesday. Coon shot two students and two teachers before he turned the gun onto himself to commit suicide. The injuries on the victims are considered to be minor and are expected to recover.

Coon was perceived as an outcast by his fellow students. He was considered to be a “Goth” and he often wore black nail polish, black clothing, and a trench coat to school. Coon had a troubled childhood and a distressed relationship with his mother. At the age of 12, Coon was put into a juvenile health treatment after he attacked his mother, where he attempted to kill himself. Coon was not perceived as an aggressive or violent person, but he got into an after school fight with a fellow student, and was suspended on Monday.

As you may recall, the Virginia Tech school shooting happened in April of this year, and it was a tremendous tragedy. The shootings that happened at Virginia Tech and at SuccessTech Academy have sent up warning flags amongst high schools all over the country that they could be next.

These shootings can all be prevented if someone would take the necessary steps to ensure the protection of the students and staff within the high schools. Staff and students need to take these steps in order to possibly eliminate school shootings.

One thing that the staff can do is to appear more approachable, so that students are informed on what is going on with the students. The staff also needs to take more safety precautions to keep the school safer.

One thing that students could do to prevent these shootings would be to report any suspicions or threats made by a student about the school or another student. Anonymous hotlines should be made on high schools so the students feel they can report anything to authorities. Teachers should also appear to be approachable, so that students feel safe to confide in them about possible threats.

The most important thing that students can do to prevent these school shootings, is by not judging fellow students by their differences. Students need to allow themselves to choose their personal beliefs for themselves, students need to understand that it is okay to be different from everyone else, and that you should not be embarrassed by your beliefs. Students need to have an open mind, and they need to put themselves in the other persons shoes. You will never realize what someone else is going through, unless you take the time to understand and ask them about it. As the old saying goes, “you never know a person, until you walk a mile in their shoes.” I feel that this should go through every students mind before they decide to say something negative and demeaning to another student, because it may have just been said as a juvenile joke, but the results can be extravagant.

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One Comment Add your own

• 1. Gilhaus  |  October 19, 2007 at 2:51 pm

  “Anonymous hotlines should be made on high schools so the students feel they can report anything to authorities.” I think that this, with perhaps an anonymous web posting capability, would be a great idea. There would more than likely be many false reports, but perhaps a screening process could be put in place to quickly eliminate these. (24/25, lacking link)

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