Close to Home: Children’s safety is everyone’s responsibility

DONNA GRETHEN / Tribune Content Agency

By Amie Carter | Amie Carter is Sonoma County superintendent of schools. and Contributed Content

PUBLISHED: September 23, 2024 at 12:02 AM PDT

Over the past couple weeks, Sonoma County’s schools and law enforcement agencies have been experiencing heightened emotion and anxiety around school safety. As we grieve for the families and friends of those lost in the Georgia school shooting on Sept. 4, our thoughts naturally turn to whether something similar might play out in our community. We all want to make sure our students are safe and feel cared for.

As Sonoma County’s superintendent of schools, I have seen firsthand how dedicated our public schools are to ensuring that students are safe, secure and supported on our campuses. One of my first acts upon taking office was to establish a safety team at the Sonoma County Office of Education in order to support their efforts. This team is leading the adoption of new safety protocols for schools and working on countywide strategies to intervene when students demonstrate concerning behaviors.

We have trained hundreds of teachers, counselors and administrators to use student threat assessment teams to investigate and determine the seriousness of reported threats. When a threat is identified, we now have a coalition of county agencies that come together to resolve the problem, support the child and protect the school and community.

Recently, local law enforcement agencies have received a higher volume of tips about threats against schools or students. Many of these have proved to be unfounded, reckless comments or internet hoaxes. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office alone has investigated roughly a half-dozen unfounded threats. This is consistent with a trend law enforcement has been seeing nationally since the Georgia shooting. Threats of violence are upsetting to anyone, but they can be particularly traumatizing for young minds.

In this time of heightened anxiety, a single vague, viral social media post can fuel a rumor mill of panic in communities across the nation. Our local law enforcement agencies take their responsibility to investigate each threat seriously and work hard to determine whether criminal charges are necessary.

For families, this is a significant reminder of the importance of keeping up with what children are exposed to on social media and ensuring they have the tools and skills necessary to process what they are seeing. It’s important to normalize the process of discussing anything concerning they may see with a trusted adult before hitting a “share” button or starting a rumor of imminent harm. Students’ “always online” lifestyles mean they often may be the first to hear about credible threats that need to be taken seriously, but they can sometimes struggle to process what they are seeing.

It’s essential that we sit down with our children and talk about the seriousness that words like “shooting,” “bomb,” or “kill” carry, and the responses they can prompt. We should also stress that the consequences of making such threats could include criminal charges or school disciplinary action that can affect their long-term future or how they are perceived by their peers. Importantly, if a child is expressing violent thoughts, especially if they have a plan to hurt themselves or others, call the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline or seek help from a mental health professional immediately.

For schools, it’s a critical time to remind students of the importance of reporting anything concerning they see with an adult at their school. Schools also need to make sure students and families are aware of online apps or other tools that allow them to report when they believe their school or fellow students might be in danger.

All our students have a right to something that in today’s digital age is growing ever more complex to guarantee: a sense of safety at school. Ultimately, the responsibility to provide that falls on all of us. Through open dialogue, vigilance, community partnership, countywide safety nets and a focus on positive school culture and youth mental health, we can center the voices of our students and meet their rightful demands.

Amie Carter is Sonoma County superintendent of schools.