Note: The article that follows is to support school administrators in their work, as all of our content is designed. The crisis of mass shootings in the United States is, unfortunately, not a new phenomena. Its frequency should never lead us into being desensitized to moments such as these. The tragedy that happened this week at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia was one that took the lives of four people– two students and two teachers– and devastated the lives of their families, the other victims who were shot and injured, the community, the teachers and leaders, the law enforcement officers. In a few moments, lives were stolen. Dreams were shattered. Feelings of peace and security at school were taken away not only in Barrow County but in schools near and far. This isn’t the first school shooting, and isn’t likely to be the last, but these were real people and these are real families whose lives will never, ever be the same. In respect to the lives taken and the lives of their families infinitely altered, they deserve to be remembered not as numbers in a spreadsheet of other tragedies, but as names of people, real people, and their lives.
As I worked with school leaders this week after the tragedy at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia, I realized that with many new leaders and teachers, we have a lot of people who are navigating school for the first time, or for the first time in these roles.
This isn’t an attempt to explain the unexplainable or to offer solutions to the national crisis we find ourselves surrounded by. This is a list of thoughts to consider when you are leading a school and tragedy has struck, not at your school, but perhaps in another location. We are all one in education, so what happens in another location can send tremors to other places. With that in mind, a list of things to think about during such occasions.
1. Communicate with your people. In conjunction with your central office, communicate with the different members of your school family. What happens at one school creates concerns for the members of your school family. Don’t do this by yourself… work with people who serve in this role in your system to prepare your message. If you’re in a smaller location and don’t have those things, talk with your supervisor and then work with your admin team to decide what you’ll share with others, but remember, your voice can be one that brings comfort and confidence to others. Your silence may do the opposite.
2. Open lines of communication. Make sure that your teachers and staff, as well as your students and their parents, know where they can reach out for information, to ask questions, or to get help.
3. Check on your people. Many of our teachers are thinking about what happened at Apalachee. It may be the first time many of your brand new teachers have thought about these things. Along with your admin team, check on your people. Make sure they have access to support, and remember that your support, in the form of checking on them, can be helpful.
4. Prepare for rumors, threats, and anxieties. On Thursday and Friday of this past week, schools across Georgia were inundated with reports of threats, actual threats, rumors of threats, and people wondering if there had been threats. Be prepared for how you respond to these things, and as always, what the protocols for your system are about them. You know this but it’s worth mentioning again– we live in a world where you have to every threat as serious, so be ready to respond. Also be ready to communicate with your parents when threats are made or rumors exist about threats. Nearly everyone has a heightened sense of awareness now, so it’s typical for this to be a big part of what you’re addressing for a while.
5. Renew your commitment to safety. I know you are committed to safety, but remember what talks about gets done. A student opened a door for me last week while I was waiting for the office to buzz me in to a school. She was walking past, saw me at the door, and opened it, being a polite young lady and having been raised to be so. NEXT week, I bet nobody does that. Look, we all can tend to get lax… we will emphasize keeping doors shut this week and everyone will take it seriously because of the recency of the event. How can you keep that vigilant as time passes? As is the case with most everything, put dates on your calendar to talk about safety protocols throughout the school year. That’s how you help your people keep safety in the forefront.
6. Acknowledge your people’s emotions. Avoid being dismissive with other people’s fears. Yes, you don’t want your faculty or students to be paralyzed with fear, but people have to process their own emotions. An effective leader is sensitive to the needs of her people and isn’t dismissive with them. Offering your encouragement, your understanding, and other resources are great responses.
7. Check your own feelings. Being a school leader is the job in the middle. Look for threats, but don’t walk around feeling threatened. Anticipate things that can go wrong, but be positive. All of this can get heavy. Make sure you have ways of coping with the balancing act you’re performing. Work on some mental separation in the evenings and on the weekends. Permit your body to do its magical brain cleaning by getting adequate sleep. Tune yourself up so you’ll be able to lead others in uncertain times.
8. Expect Tips From Teachers. When a school shooting occurs, it’s a natural response for those in the school, your teachers in particular, to want to do something. What happens a lot is that in schools everywhere, some of your teachers may identify students as those they think are possibly capable of doing harm to others at your school. Here’s another place for you to bring balance. Those observations, as all potential threats, should be taken seriously by you and your administrative team. But, every child who is brooding isn’t necessarily an imminent threat. Working on PD (in conjunction with your central office) for your teachers on noticing student behaviors that should be reported to counseling/administration would be time well spent. You neither want to be deaf to a lead that may make things safer nor assuming every student is imminently planning to do others harm. Work with your central office to train your teachers in this and other safety-minded skills.
9. Promote the Good. It’s light that makes darkness disappear. Yes, you have to be hyper-vigilant but lift up the good. Promote kindness. Value how we treat each other. Love your people. Don’t stick your head in the sand; protect the safety of your people. Love>Hate. Good>Evil. Don’t grow weary of doing good.
10. Thank you. Thank you for being a school administrator. It’s not easy, but it IS fulfilling, and valuable, and meaningful. Thanks for what you do. -MW
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