A newly published book – Keep Kids Safe – says full dialogue is needed to ensure students are safe in their classrooms and on campuses around the world. Tracing school shootings from the first recorded in history on September 5, 1595 in Scotland to the earliest in the U.S. on July 28, 1764 in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, the 488-page book looks at school shootings in Dunblane, Scotland, Sandy Hook, Columbine, Virginia Tech and many others across North America and worldwide. Keep Kids Safe memorializes many of those who have died in school shootings so they can be remembered as individuals and not just statistics, as well as making mention of some of the heroes who surrendered their lives in an effort to protect others. The book recognizes the role of first responders; the clergy who not only conducted funerals but did so much to help heal those who were affected by the various tragedies; members of the independent and government agencies who provide services to ensure people are properly cared for following horrific incidents and the outpouring of support from people around the world. Also demonstrated is the unique bond that survivors of school shootings share as the book traces the journey of a memorial plaque from Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn, New York, where two shooting incidents took the lives of students, to Columbine High School, then to Red Lake and finally to Newtown where former students from the Red Lake Nation, who survived the gunfire at their school, gave comfort to those who safely escaped from Sandy Hook Elementary School. The book gives factual accounts of various incidents and provides insight into what to expect if a school shooting occurs in your community as well as outlining the pain and trauma people will experience, the reaction of individuals and the assistance that’s required to help heal those who are devastated when the unthinkable happens. It is a must read for first responders, religious leaders, educators, parents and community leaders in addition to those who are working to improve safety in schools and protecting young people in their classrooms.
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