Student Spectrums

Fatima Ahmad is a sophomore in high school. She is passionate about writing to express her views on world events and political affairs. Additionally, her words reflect upon different aspects of living in the US as a Muslim. 

With the terrifying rise in school shooting cases in my area, my safety is at stake. Being a Muslim, going to a private school, during this time where Muslims are seen as easy targets, I not only feel enraged, but also horrified. Hundreds of students walk into school to gain education, but unfortunately do not walk out, as schools are becoming increasingly perilous. On September 6, four people were killed and nine others hospitalized in a mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. This isn’t the first time the US has faced such calamities, and it surely won’t be the last if immediate action isn’t taken to prevent it.

My safety as a student is not guaranteed in a country that was built on the principles of freedom and security, forcing me to fear for my life simply by attending school. 

This was the 45th school shooting in the U.S. this year. According to an Education Week analysis, there were “38 school shootings in 2023 that resulted in injuries or deaths,” across K-12 schools and college campuses. These staggering numbers show the nation’s continuing failure to take reasonable precautions against such an obvious menace to public safety. Surprisingly, there were calls made to the high school foreshadowing a tragic incident, by the shooter’s mother.

The time between her warning and the first shots was enough for school officials to potentially intervene and save lives. Although, the administration was rather dismissive, leaving me and countless other students grappling with the devastating reality that our lives seemed to be of little importance to those in power. Those who could have saved lives, but didn’t. These incidents strike at the core of my peace of mind. Schools are meant to be a safe learning environment for students, not a shooting range, nor a cemetery.

Additionally, the freedom to bear arms, once intended to protect, is now turning against citizens and tomorrow’s leaders. This leaves me with a constant, unsettling sense of uncertainty about my own life. It has become a lot easier for just about anyone to legally own a gun. Extra background checks must be made before selling high-capacity firearms, so that fewer of the ‘wrong’ people can get a hold of them, but that still wouldn’t be enough to ensure a halt in gun violence, especially in schools.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the shooter’s grandmother had tried to arrange therapy, knowing he had homicidal thoughts, but was unsuccessful. If he was given “adequate counseling services” this nightmare could have been averted. Schools must urgently invest in medical health resources and make it accessible to students, which can help identify and support at-risk individuals before violence erupts. They need to take it upon themselves to make sure students return back home safe and sound.

Incidents like these make me feel a harrowing sense of fear and dread every time I enter school. I want to walk into school with a clear mind, not a heart weighed down by fear for my life. The time for change is not tomorrow, or the day after. Now’s the time to change things. How many more young lives will be sacrificed before deciding that enough is enough?