Get involved, help prevent the next school shooting before it starts

Kathleen M. Bonczyk, MBA, Esq.

I am deeply concerned about the rash of attacks on schools all over the world recently, including:

May 4, 2021: 3 children and 2 children were murdered by an 18 year old wielding a machete at a day care center in Saudades, Brazil

May 7, 2021: 3 students and an employee were wounded by a 12 year old at a middle school in Idaho, USA.

May 8, 2021: 85 people, mainly girls, were killed in a massive explosion at a high school by an unknown assailant in Kabul, Afghanistan.

May 10, 2021: 7 students and 2 teachers were murdered in a mass shooting/bombing at a school in Kazan, Russia.

June 2018: Kathleen M. Bonczyk meeting with survivors of the 2/14/18 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass murder at an event for "Times Up" candidate Elijah J. Manley, 19, the youngest person to run for school board in Florida's history. Mr. Manley, an advocate for school and workplace safety is currently running for a seat on the Florida House of Representatives.

Prevention is the only solution.

In 2018, following the horrific massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida which left 14 students and 3 faculty members dead, the WVPI introduced the "3-3 Pledge" as I firmly believe that every one of us can play a role in preventing the next abomination from happening.

We had a lofty goal back then, which was to stop these continuing tragedies from continuing by the end of 2018.

History tells us we did not meet that objective.

But history also tells us that in almost every situation of an attack on a school, the perpetrator left a trail of clues like breadcrumbs beforehand saying - in some cases yelling - what they were planning on doing.

My research tells me that none of these killers or would-be killers wake up one morning and decide to shoot up (or bomb or knife up) a school. It takes planning...over time. That's our window to prevent disaster from occurring.

Below: Kathleen discusses some of the signs and what can be done to help prevent further violence in our schools, so as to make them safer for children to learn and for teachers, faculty and safe to work at 28:12

Our position is that if each one of us does our part, we can help prevent "the next one" from happening.

Know the signs. Take the pledge. Email us at info@workplaceviolencepreventioninstitute.org for further information.