Traumatic events bring with them a host of reactions—shock, fear, anger, and an insatiable quest to understand “why here, why now?”. Residents of Chardon, Ohio, are experiencing that range of emotions this week as they grapple with a school shooting that has claimed the lives of three students and wounded two others.
Dr. Jessie Klein, assistant professor in sociology and criminal justice at Adelphi was on CNN this morning to discuss the Ohio shooting incident. Author of the upcoming book The Bully Society: School Shootings, and the Crisis of Bullying in America’s Schools, Dr. Kleinfocused on the increasing isolation and fear that plague many school-aged children. She advised us to avoid looking for “red flags” in individual students and instead to look for “red flag” schools, whose cultures may promote mistreatment among students. Dr. Klein was also a guest on the Brian Leher show on WNYC, where she offered additional insight into the evolution of bullying and school shooting incidents in the United States, the impact of bullying on children, and schools’ roles in prevention.
The next few weeks will shine an increased spotlight on issues of bullying and violence in schools, as friends, family, and the public-at-large are searching for answers. But is our search helping us prevent future tragedies? Only time will tell.
