In recent months, threats of school shootings have become frequent and close to home. Tulare County has fallen victim to these threats. Recently, a thirteen year old girl from Pixley was arrested for threatening to shoot up a school in Delano. Almost always, they end up being hoaxes created by students. Several arrests were made and most of them were students playing pranks. Students making light of such an atrocious situation is disturbing. School shootings are not a joke; they’re tragedies that span across America. Nearly a year ago, there was a school shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, resulting in six deaths: three students and three staff members. The lives of these children were snuffed out like a blown-out candle. They weren’t able to celebrate their 10th birthdays or live out their dreams. They weren’t able to do anything. 

A year prior, in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022, 19 children and two staff members were slaughtered during a school shooting. Again, these children were no more than 11 years old, and having their lives ended abruptly is horrifying. The families of these victims have endured an excruciating amount of sorrow. The agonizing pain a parent feels after seeing their little boy or girl carried out dead is unbearable. The reality is the victims were not nameless statistics. No, they were friends, family members, co-workers, and classmates; they were human beings. 

Having students fake these threats to skip school or for some other ridiculous reason is appalling. It’s horrible—downright horrible. These threats leave children crying and make them question whether they are safe in school. Students shouldn’t have to worry about their safety at school; they shouldn’t be concerned about whether someone is going to shoot up the place. They should be having fun, running around, and enjoying their childhood. 

What these fake threats do is expend resources that could be used to address real potential shootings. There is a genuine possibility that Dinuba High School could face an actual threat. Our district needs to focus on the real dangers instead of wasting time on superficial pranks. If there is ever a real shooting here, it will likely be dismissed because so many threats are hoaxes. There’s only so many times someone can cry wolf; let’s not devalue the importance of this issue. 

Obviously, not all threats are fake. There are genuine threats, and the origins of these threats usually stem from students who are dealing with serious issues. Nearly half of school shootings were committed by current or former students. It’s vital to recognize the signs of a potential threat at your school. Whether they are classmates or friends, it’s important to notice the signs of potential school shooters. The top ten signs of a potential threat are as follows: sudden withdrawal, bullying, irritability, social isolation, thoughts of self-harm or harm to others, direct threats to people or places, bragging about gun ownership, recruiting accomplices, expressing threats as plans, and cruelty to animals. If you ever notice these signs in a fellow student, please tell an authority figure or log onto the See Something/Say Something website or app to report a tip anonymously.  Your actions are what determines the safety of your campus.