Get serious about protecting students

We all remember Smokey the Bear and tagline: “Only you can prevent forest fires.” Well the same holds true for gun violence in schools. Many school shootings with deaths will occur long before governmental bodies can get resolution. School shootings have been recorded in great numbers way back to the 1700’s. Guns were available all these years even with “gun laws” established over the years. The number of shootings reported in The Macomb Daily today are “202 incidents with 56 deaths and 147 injuries so far in 2024”. That is shocking; yet not so unusual: Firearms were also the number one cause of death among children in 2020 and 2021.

The legal system has failed to resolve much of anything relative to gun violence in schools. What can we/you do about it? Some suggestions are to place visible police officers at each school. Perhaps use the school space for satellite/sub stations for police/sheriff units to increase visibility and to offset some of the costs of existing sub stations. Use artificial intelligence to identify risks and opportunity for shooters. Secure all entry and exits at the school. Restrict daily entry by students to doors that have ID activated turnstiles and scanners for guns. Make visitor entry a two-step process; first an entry door visible on security camera to computer screen with an office attendant to allow entry if given a valid reason for the visitor to be there. That allows the visitor into just the locked school administration or security area from which they can move into a designated area of the school once screened. Professional counseling for students and staff provided by an independent agency of psychiatrists and psychologists. This is totally different than existing school counselors whose duties already overwhelm them, Back these providers with laws that clearly state that if there is great risk it must be provided to school officials and security.

Doctors and client privileges must be managed differently for school safety. Provide for student anonymous reporting on concerns of what they hear, see and suspect. “See something — say something “ comes to mind. Allow for cell phone call and text to the school office for immediate suspicion or activities with confidentiality. Perhaps its as simple as a 911 like call to a specific number that then identifies the student and AI then providing school staff and security the whereabouts and nature of the call for response.

Also allow for confidential requests for help from someone thinking about doing a shooting. The news media feeds copycats by reporting too much information and drama surrounding school shootings. Some is clearly necessary but (they) must avoid dramatizing the event for the misguided to become the next shooter. Last, but not least, create a “Smokey the Bear” image and never to be forgotten statements about schools are no place for guns. Relate it to the pain and sadness of these events for students, school staff, local law enforcement, parents and other family of victims or even the fears of what might be a occurrence one day at school. Make those feeling real to a potential shooter to seek help. All Americans today know about how to prevent forest fires. Let’s make guns and school security known to them as well. Another Smokey the Bear campaign? Maybe. Let’s ask the advertising world to create something for National Awareness. What image and words with students relate to ? Ask them.

To bring this closer to home in my L’Anse Creuse Schools, where a $187.7 million bond proposal was approved in the last election. Certainly there is funding enough in this for some school security systems. The bond was admittedly for many unknown needs/wants in the first proposal to voters. It was halved along with broad direction on spending to get approved. Well they have the funding and now we/you must demand how it is spent. Some surely should go to school security systems.

Donald G. Vonk

Harrison Twp.

Killer’s words too common to veterans

“Deny,” delay,” “depose,” three words unfamiliar to most until the slaying of CEO Brian Thompson. But sadly those very same words are the backbone and mainstay of our own Veterans Administration. Thousands of military veterans have experienced the rejection for medical, and or monetary compensation. When asking for aid or assistance the veteran must prove beyond a shadow of a doubt their reason and the cause. If the proper boxes aren’t checked or issues don’t fit into the VA’s check list the claim is denied. There are many that will recommend various avenues in the search, however most result in what I refer to as the phone-call-merry-go-round. This is where you are given a number to call, and upon contacting the person in question you are given another number, and so on, until the last number you receive is the very first number you called. It’s a sad game all to familiar with most veterans where officials create rules and guidelines, and those in charge weren’t even born when the veteran served. Those in the military, who worked with explosives, had their own 3-“D’s” they were “designate,” “disarm,” “destroy”, apparently the VA has the option to use all 6 “D’s.”

Ronald Navickas

Shelby Twp.