August marks the time when children return to school. It is a time when anticipation runs high and parents are both eager and anxious for the journey that awaits their children. Somewhere right now, a mother is putting their son and/or daughter to bed. Somewhere right now, a little girl or boy is laying their clothes out and excited about their new backpack or shoes or new school supplies.
With all of this, however, there are seventeen sets of parents in Uvalde, Texas, who will not experience the joy of seeing their child off to school. Who won’t be able to watch their child experience the first day of a new grade.
Writer Arelis Hernandez, in her 2022 article for The Washington Post, “Uvalde School Shooting Survivors Struggle As They Await Answers”, writes, “For the families of Uvalde, Tex., the dead are buried, but there is little peace for the living. Grief stalks downtown. Rage bursts forth from residents. Distrust shrouds every word delivered by officials. Hugs are the currency of solidarity but deliver few answers.”
This fall marks the start of the first year in the aftermath of the Robb Elementary shootings that took place in Uvalde, Texas several months ago. There is no doubt this tragic event will forever change how children and parents all over the United States will experience the first day of school. Certainly, the shooting in Uvalde, Texas was not the first school shooting to occur but it is one that has occured at this magnitude and now, the entire state and the entire country is discussing what needs to be done so that this never happens again.
The midterm elections are just over the horizon. Soon enough, the future of governing bodies in Texas will be in the hands of the community. The future of how much time, resources, and funds should be allocated to ensure schoolchildren’s and teacher’s safety will be voted on. Moreover, the status of gun control in the state of Texas, particularly in relation to its role in the classroom, will be discussed, dissected, and voted on.
Could this election bring forth answers many are looking for in the wake of this tragedy? Could the result of the election act as answers?
What is certain is no one is going to forget the tragic events of the Uvalde shooting and the impact it has had and will continue to have on children and parents and concerns of school safety.
Parents will be hugging their kids tighter as they are being dropped off for school. Teachers will be at an intersection of aware and paranoid as the day and year progresses.The leadership of the state of Texas should ensure the victims of the Uvalde shooting do not die in vain and the larger community be served justice and a peace of mind.
