What Triad students want you to know about school shootings
WFMY News 2 asked six Triad students about their experiences living in the age of school shootings.
AP
It’s back-to-school season. Students are picking out their first-day outfits and choosing which folders will go with which subjects. Yet, something darker than first-day jitters and finding the right homeroom lingers when that school bell rings.
The threat of shootings begins to loom over students as soon as they walk through the door.
We’ve heard it all before.
Another gunman walks into a school and starts shooting. Before you know it, your phone is dinging repeatedly with every news station reporting the latest death toll number.
Then, a new wave of panic sets in. You start hearing the latest solution from local schools to protect students. Some schools say installing bulletproof glass will help and while others start ordering metal detectors. An administrator promises to increase school resource officers and tighten security. Maybe increasing random bag checks and active shooter drills at random intervals throughout the year will do it this time.
Students are told to have survival skills in their back pockets in case the worst happens. Run. Hide. Fight. Go into the corner of the classroom, barricade the doors with the desks, and above all, stay silent.
Stay alive.
Every day, there is a chance for another school to be targeted. After every school shooting, that same conversation happens on TV, social media, and in legislatures.
We’ve heard it all before.
During all of that, how often do we hear from the students themselves?
WFMY News 2 asked six Triad students about their experiences in the age of school shootings. These are their answers.
The names of the students have been changed to protect their identities. All students were interviewed with parental consent.
"Am I going to get shot today?" Daily Fear
“It’s really annoying going to school [thinking], 'Am I going to get shot today?',” Alexa, a 13-year-old from the Redeemer School shared.
“It’s really disturbing and sad, thinking this could be my school next,” her 16-year-old sister, Grace, who goes to West Forsyth chimed in.
A piece of a weapon was found at West Forsyth in March 2023.
“We just recently had someone get shot who went to our school in 2022 and after that, they just tried to make it seem like life was normal. After that, life was not normal. Life is not normal after any shooting,” Sarah from Dudley High School shared.
Ja’Zari Harper, a senior at Dudley High School, was shot and killed in October 2022, though it was not on school grounds.
A gun was found at Dudley High School in March of 2023. Two students brought guns to a Jamboree event in Aug. 2023.
“It’s trauma. It’s a very traumatic experience,” Sarah shared. “It’s sad to watch and sad to see. This is not something you want your child or anyone in the world or even yourself to live through,” Sarah said.
"Stay Calm, Stay Quiet and Hidden" The Drills
Students are taught to stay alert and to always be ready for a threat.
“[I feel] scared for my safety. I walk into school every day basically being prepared to run at any moment just in case a shooting happens,” 16-year-old, Jamie, from Grimsley High School shared.
A middle school student brought a gun to Grimsley High School in early Feb. 2023.
“We do lockdown drills every single month; we go over them lots of times. Teachers tell us if this was a real situation how we should react – stay calm, stay quiet and hidden,” said Trevor.
He mentioned his teachers told him to hope and pray.
Grace was at West Forsyth High School when a shooting at Mt. Tabor sent the school into lockdown for hours in Sept. 2021.
“I just remember after the Mt. Tabor shooting, my mom just like hugging me like ‘I love you. Thank God it wasn’t you,’” Grace shared.
15-year-old William Miller Junior was shot and killed by a fellow student on Sept. 1 at Mt. Tabor High School in Winston-Salem. He was the target and the only victim.
Junior’s death had an impact on Grace’s close circle.
“One of my really good friends lost a friend in the Mt. Tabor shooting,” said Grace. “Seeing her grieving process, I’m like, if that was my school that would be…it would be really horrible.”
Grace mentioned how the Mt. Tabor shooting was the reason she got a cell phone in order to communicate with her parents. On the day of the shooting, she was stranded at the school until 8 p.m. with no way to reach them.
Alexa had a close call with gun violence as well. The Redeemer School was very close to the shooting at Forsyth Tech, which sent the school into a “stay-in-place drill” where students did not switch classrooms until it was lifted.
“There were several kids in the middle school, specifically a kid in our class, his sister went to Forsyth Tech and he was freaking out the whole time. He was really nervous,” Alexa recounted. “I was thinking in my head, my sister’s school could have been next.”
"Frustrating and Sad" The Emotional Toll
The Washington Post reported there have been 386 school shootings since 1999, with more than 356,000 students experiencing gun violence in that time.
Overall, students expressed exhaustion and exasperation. Students wanted adults to know how much the threat impacted their day to day.
“It’s really awful sitting there drill after drill. We should not be having to go through this much,” said Alexa. “Thinking of how many people just lost their child? And of course, the parents aren’t in control - they can’t just drive up here and stop the shooter. They can’t do the best job of saving their child. Imagining all those parents and what it must be like to lose their child to something they couldn’t control […] it’s frustrating and sad.”
“We do a lockdown drill twice a quarter, but I think at this point we’ve done more real lockdowns than lockdown drills,” said Grace.
“I feel kind of sad,” expressed 8-year-old Penelope at the Redeemer School. “They usually kill some kid, which I’m very sad about.”
“It’s scary and not fun. I’m grateful that we can practice [lockdown drills] and go over them, […] it’s frightening,” said Trevor.
According to a report on the implications of "school attacks" done by the U.S. Secret Service and Department of Education, there were more school shootings in 2022, 46, than in any year since Columbine.
"Enough is Enough" What's Next
When asked if enough was being done to prevent school shootings, all six students gave a resounding no.
Overall, students wished for stricter gun laws to curb violence. Their general sentiment was that not everyone should have a gun.
“I think it’s sad how much work [schools] have to do just to keep us safe when we could have laws - not even completely banning guns, just making sure you have a license for it, make sure you’re mentally stable before you can get a gun,” Grace said.
“No matter how many shootings there are, it’s almost just like, ‘Oh, it’s another shooting, OK whatever’,” Alexa said.
“Everyone should have a license to have a gun,” said Trevor.
The students said that gun owners should have clean records and that parents should store guns more safely. They suggested more mental health resources for at-risk students.
But the answer is clear among students, something must be done.
In Alexa’s words: “How many more times is this going to happen before they say enough is enough?”