Keep Kids Safe

This book takes a critical look at school shootings across North America and around the world and calls for a national dialogue to come up with recommendations to improve safety and security in schools and to protect students in classrooms. From Newtown to Littleton and from Virginia Tech to Northern Illinois University, the book looks at the shootings and the impact on the various communities. In addition to chronicling numerous shooting rampages, the chapters examine the response of emergency workers, while detailing what must be done to comfort grieving families. From the reaction of residents to the initial role of law enforcement and the investigation process, the book gives insight into the how politicians, the clergy, victim assistance advocates, government agencies and community volunteers have responsibility to comfort those who are suffering and help them through the healing process. Victims of the different tragedies are memorialized; details of their funerals are highlighted, along with tributes at memorial services and words of comfort from local pastors to world leaders, as well as messages of hope from President Barack Obama and former Presidents William Clinton and George W. Bush. This book will be of interest to emergency planners, teachers, religious leaders, law enforcement officers and anyone interested in learning how school shooting situations have been managed and research that has been conducted at various levels. Although school shootings are rare, they can happen anywhere and the impact is devastating. The book suggests an open and wide ranging discussion is necessary to analyze the factors contributing to this type of violence in an effort to identify strategies that will effectively curb these targeted attacks. It is obvious there are no quick fixes, so everyone who can provide input must join the dialogue and hopefully an international symposium will be organized to find solutions that will keep our kids safe in their schools.