By this time next week we will be moving on from the conversation involving the recent school massacre at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas where 19 children and two teachers were murdered, as well as the shooting in Downtown Chattanooga where several unsupervised teens started shooting. The violence will continue because we chose to do nothing when it mattered most.
Our kids know more about battle than all of our leaders stacked together. Who do you think they are killing - they are killing the enemy at least as they see it. The more kids that die by this violence the more acceptable it becomes and I am losing faith that they can be saved.
As long as I have been registered as a volunteer I have not seen a need in volunteers for youth activities.
It is up to each and everyone of us to do something. With the violent video games that many parents play along with, then we have the movies and TV shows full of violent content and music filled with violence and sexual content. Our youth know more about guns and violence before they learn how to tie their shoes.
How about we discuss the public school system that our kids have been abused by and bullied for far too long. If parents knew just how bad it is they would demand change before they sent their kids back to school. Our kids are dying and if they aren't killed, it is sure to steal their innocence. Which one do you think is worse?
Those of you speaking out about being pro-life aren't willing to speak for the very lives that you claim to want to save, which is the little children of the world. Having kids suffer in this mess that we all created is not a plan that I want any part of.
Save your ribbons your crosses and your prayers because they do not make anyone feel better. They are useless without actions.
I learned real fast just how bad our schools were and when I started speaking out about the violence and bullying in school you brushed it off and turned your back, you did not care then so why all of a sudden do you act as though you care now. Thankfully my boys are out of school but that does not mean that I stop speaking to families. Some of us weren't given the choice to ignore the violence. It takes a village to raise kids and it takes even more to save them.
In 2013, when the young man that brutally beat my son was sentenced and charged with an assault as a minor at the age of 17, he already had a juvenile record and was expelled from one school only to be approved to attend another school outside of his district and that is when he attacked my son. The day that he was sentenced I was present and Judge Robert Philyaw allowed me to address the court and my words then are my words today.
"At what point do we stop slapping these kids on the wrist and we actually hold them accountable and then when they turn 18 they aren't thrown into society for the rest of us to deal with. It is not only up to law enforcement and parents it is all of our responsibility to guide them in the right direction."
These juveniles are more aware of how the system works than most adults.
A true leader works to solve one problem at a time and prioritizes what is most important.
It is safe to say that (1) we do not have any real leadership, or (2) you do not feel that juvenile violence should have been our first priority. They will hold parents more accountable for truancy than they will for kids that are violent on school property. When you hear that a child has been expelled they are only expelled from the school that they were currently enrolled in and with one appeal with the school board they are many times approved to attend another school outside of their district. Expulsion does not mean exactly how it sounds. Yes, every child has the right to a public education. I do not think that kids being kicked out of school is entirely the answer, that is why we need more resources and that is where the extra funding is needed. We must hold our leaders more accountable and demand to know that these changes are being made and the funding is being placed appropriately.
If you are a parent of a school-aged child then you should be very concerned about the evil that surrounds them in the classroom. When and if you challenge the board of education you better be ready for a battle that you are sure to lose. They can never undo what they did to my family and many others that did not stand down.
Not only do we have to keep our kids safe from outside threats, we also have to keep them safe from other students that are on the bus and in the classrooms with them. We had an obligation to these young lives and now I am afraid that it is too late. Our kids spend 180 days in class and that is where the abuse is taking place early in their lives. Kids aren't taught to dream and reach for the stars today. The educational institutions are brain washing the young minds and our teachers are not the blame. They are also abused by the system.
When a parent tells me their story and just when I think I have heard it all, I am sure to be surprised. We seem to pay more attention to someone speeding in a school zone than we do the violence that is going on inside school.
According to Psychology Today, the violence in schools is a national crisis. "The problem is on and off of school grounds. The most recent national report on indicators of school crime and safety reveals that of about 3.8 million teachers, 10 percent of those teachers reported that students had threatened them with injury and another 6 percent of teachers reported that a student had physically attacked them. Forty-four percent of teachers reported experiencing at least one physical offense, and physical offenses are often serious, and 9 percent of teachers reported a doctor's visit following the injury. Many teachers are physically victimized by students parents and colleagues making the workplace a toxic environment."
The CDC reports on youth violence states that homicide is the third leading cause of death for young people ages 10 to 24 and the leading cause of death for non-Hispanic black or African American youth. Emergency departments treat more than 1,000 youth for physical assault related injuries each day. Youth violence is costly. Homicide among young people and non-fatal physical assault related injuries result in an estimated $100 billion annually and cost including medical, lost work, and quality and value of life. This estimate does not include cost to the criminal justice system.
Youth violence should not not be dismissed as "someone else's kid" or "bad parenting", it is a community-wide problem which needs to be addressed on multiple levels with many stakeholders. It is important to recognize that school violence is widespread and that parents, communities and school officials need to take ownership and reducing school violence.
Teachers stop reporting to work and parents keep your kids home from school and when it hurts funding they will be forced to make changes. These are our kids and we have a right and a obligation to protect them no matter what. We are not doing our kids any good by ignoring this behavior. Our county commissioners have said that it is a lack of respect among the county's youth when explaining the local violence. Commissioner Boyd said that children lose respect for authority figures particularly in school because they see their parents treat teachers and other staff with disrespect regarding matters pertaining to their child.
I do not disagree entirely, but we cannot keep blaming parents. We aren't looking into the bigger problem. Parents are waking up and they see how their kids are being treated in school. Once again our teachers aren't the blame, if parents want to protect and voice their concerns they must take it to a higher level than your local school board. If I knew then what I know now it would of helped me more, but what I know now can help you protect your child. That is why I choose to speak and advocate on school violence.
I cannot do this alone and you cannot do this alone but we can do more together.
Tonya R. McBryar
Mom against bullying and violence in school.