School Shootings: How Can I Protect MY child?

Free Workshop September 12 and Educational Resources

The school year has just started in the US and, yet again, another school shooting has led to tragic loss of life, suffering, and fear. Our hearts are with each person who has died, been injured, lost a loved one, or had their sense of >In response to the tragic reality of horrific heartbreaking shootings, we are offering a special free workshop for parents, educators, and other caring adults next Thursday, September 12, called, “School Shootings, How do we protect our kids?

We will learn and practice skills including:

• what to say and do to protect our children’s emotional safety
• how to make safety plans with our schools, and
• how to prepare children to take action if an emergency arises.

You can learn more about the following four actions you can take to protect children’s emotional safety in our article, still relevant after 12 years since the Sandy Hook tragedy, it mentions: “What If Someone Starts Shooting Kids At My School?”

• Shield children as best you can from overwhelming and upsetting news
• Acknowledge children’s feelings without burdening them with your own
• Answer questions in reassuring, age-appropriate ways
• Give extra love and attention.

The following seven steps described in our article, School Shootings: How to Protect Kids in the Face of Armed School Violence can help adults and children to feel less helpless and more prepared:

1. Is Your School Prepared -and Are you?
2. Be a Safe, Calm Person to Talk To
3. Make Sure it is Safe to Tell At School
4. What Adults Can Say to Children About What Happens to People’s Minds and Bodies in an Emergency
5. Violence in Schools and Elsewhere: What Adults Can Say To Children About Getting Away, Getting Hurt, and Getting Help
6. What Adults Can Say to Children About Kids Having Weapons At School
7. Work on the Underlying Issues

Acting out what to do for different kinds of emergencies can help to prepare children and adults alike to take quick action when needed. Just like fire drills, if a school safety drill for someone who is acting dangerously is done in a calm and matter-of-fact way, this can help to reduce anxiety.

We also want kids to be safe in their imaginations. Just talking about problems makes people more anxious without making them safer. In our Kidpower workshops, we coach our students to be successful in practicing how to handle different kinds of safety problems with people, depending on what issues these families, schools, and youth organizations are dealing with at that time.

I hope to see you in our workshop next week. Please share this link to this article on our blog with anyone who you think might find it helpful.

Please write to us with your thoughts and questions.

With deep appreciation for your commitment to safety,