Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Fighting back

It's saved thousands of children from abduction.

It's the posture being taken in schools and colleges in response to and preparation for Columbine- and Dekalb-style mass murder attempts.

What do the two have in common? Preparing younger children in an uncontrollable world.

To some, "To put that expectation on young, emotional, scared, frightened children is really a slippery slope," says Kenneth Trump, the president of National School Safety and Security Services. "It has a high risk and higher probability of escalating a situation than it would to neutralize the situation."

Frankly, my kids wouldn't need anyone besides me to teach them this: Be aware of your surroundings, look for protection options (escape, blockade, hiding places) and weapon options, and remember that when your life is threatened by knife or gun, no option is off the table including any sort of first-strike opportunity.

But my kids' lives may depend on other kids knowing their options, too.

Why be afraid to teach them? What's the worst that could happen - they freeze in someone's gunsights? They have anxiety that this could happen to them? Sadly, these are realities without the schools stepping in. Give the kids options.

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