ALMOST every few weeks, there are fresh reports that another child has been injured or killed as a result of a schoolyard shooting in the United States.
Australian schools have been spared so far from this horror, but it is only a matter of time before it happens on our shores, despite tighter gun controls than in the United States.
It is vital for state, Catholic and all private school authorities to be fully prepared. A low-key approach by schools in the hope that copycats won’t emerge is fruitless. The media and Internet have already given such incidents plenty of exposure.
It is time to face up to the possibility that this sort of schoolyard violence could happen in Australia and institute the necessary preventative measures such as anti-bullying initiatives and readily available counsellors in schools.
Parents need to be assured that their children are safe at school.
