Since there have been recent threats of violence in several areas of mid-Missouri, some kids may still be afraid to go to school.
In the Southern Boone District, schools canceled classes on Tuesday because of a direct threat. Students at Blair Oaks were also put on a “soft lockdown” on Tuesday afternoon.
There is also a bigger risk of violence in schools across the country. Last year, 82 school killings were the most ever recorded in the U.S. As of now in 2024, there have been 49 more school killings across the country.
Because of this, students may feel more afraid of possible dangers while they are at school.
Tasca Tolson, a certified trauma expert at TMT Consulting, agreed that this could be an issue. She said it could hurt kids’ mental health, which could make it harder for them to learn.
“How will the classroom be filled with people?” He asked, “Are people going to be able to learn?” “If they are not in an environment where they are safe and they can learn, it’s going to definitely distract from the environment in the classroom.”
Tolson said that this kind of worry can show up in many ways.
“There’s just no one answer because all kids are going to cope differently,” he said.
Students in the Southern Boone District are getting therapy to help them deal with some of these possible fears.
School Superintendent Dr. Tim Roth said, “We’re making sure that we give some of those supported measures to our students so they can get back to their normal everyday lives.”
Tolson and other experts have said that this is a complicated problem, but she thinks it is very important for students to have a safe place to talk about their worries.
“Many people don’t know how to say ‘I’m broken.'” I’m scared. I’m feeling stressed. It hurts my stomach,'” It was Tolson.
She understood how hard it might be for students to deal with these thoughts. Tolson said that kids should stay away from social media as much as possible so they don’t see violent content at school.