The past couple of weeks have brought some tense moments in the Bradford Area School District.
In the wake of a Valentine’s Day school shooting in Florida that left 17 people dead, at least five threats or rumors of threats prompted responses from officials at Bradford Area High School and Floyd C. Fretz Middle School.
No injuries or violence resulted, but the response from parents has been clear: they are afraid for their children’s safety.
But life continues, as it must. How does the school community move past this?
“As with any fears or anxieties that our children face, it is always very important to remain calm and examine them in rational terms,” said David Emerson, guidance counselor at Fretz. “If we as adults react to situations in panic and fear, then our children are most likely to react the same way.”
As Emerson explains, living in fear can be more harmful than helpful.
“When we react with panic and fear, we often don’t think rationally or logically,” he said. “Failing to examine the fear in a rational way often leads to the cycle of greater stress and anxiety. It is not always easy to be rational, and it is sometimes a moment by moment struggle, but in treating and addressing anxiety, we must constantly ground ourselves in the rational reality of our fear.”
Risk is, after all, a daily part of life.
“For example, the odds of losing our lives in an automobile crash are much greater than losing our lives to a random act of violence,” he said. “However, most people continue the daily practice of traveling in automobiles with little stress or anxiety because whether they realize it or not, they are rationally examining the situation.
“It is not always easy to keep this train of thought about our fears, but at times like these we must focus even more.”
Knowing anxiety is harmful and stopping anxiety are two different things. But it is a struggle students do not have to face alone.
Emerson said there is a network of experts available to help. Fretz and the high school each have a Student Assistance Program (SAP Teams) comprising trained teachers, staff, mental health and drug and alcohol professionals and other service providers.
“The teams meet weekly to review students and to assist the students and parents to access any assistance they may need,” he explained. “Teachers, parents, and students can refer to this program. In addition to this program, the BASD also employs a full-time social worker who assists students and families in accessing any care or treatment that might be needed.”
Junior high and high school is trying at times for all students. It’s not unusual for students to feel angry over the things they think they can’t control — and violence is one unfortunate way individuals sometimes try to gain that sense of control.
“My guidance to students who may be feeling angry or feel as if they do not have control over their lives would be to find an adult they trust either at school or home and talk with them,” Emerson said.
“Too many times students will confide in their peers, which isn’t always a bad thing, but in most cases a same age peer is not going to have the wisdom or life experience to appropriately guide them during their trouble time.”
In the Florida shooting, there were several documented concerns about alleged shooter Nikolas Cruz. That is not the case in every school shooting.
Are there signs people can look for that might indicate someone is planning an attack?
Emerson said, “It is hard to determine exact warning signs that somebody is becoming violent, but I would definitely be looking for changes in normal behavior.
“If a student suddenly withdraws from social and peer interactions, responds to situations in an overly aggressive or disproportionate manner, speaks of violence, posts disturbing material on social media, appears to have deep grievances with individuals or groups of individuals or expresses an intense interest in past or current incidents of violence, these could be signs that something is not right with that individual.
“In these cases, professional help should be sought.”
