Tuesday’s mass shooting in a Texas elementary school reverberated across Vermont, as educators and administrators wrestled with how to address the violence with their students.
The carnage at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, which claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers, was among the deadliest school shootings in the country’s history and led to a nationwide outpouring of anger and sorrow.
In schools — even thousands of miles away in Vermont — that impact was felt acutely.
At Randolph Elementary School, school administrators asked an Orange County Sheriff’s officer to come to the school to “provide a heightened sense of security,” Principal Erica McLaughlin said.
Most students were unaware of the shooting, she said, although a couple of higher-grade classes did discuss the violence in class. One third-grade student had to be walked into school by the bus driver, McLaughlin said, because she was so afraid of coming to class.
“I took her by the other hand, and I brought her into my office,” she said. “I talked to her about (how) that event is really scary and sad. And our hearts go out to that community. And in this community, there are lots of things in place so that we can make sure that children are safe.”
In the St. Johnsbury School, administrators opted not to have a law enforcement presence. After a threat made earlier in the year, administrators found that police in the hallways made students feel less safe, said Lydia Cochrane, the principal for pre-K through third grade.
“It made them think, ‘Oh, God, do we need (police) here?’” Cochrane said.
Instead, the school stuck to its usual routines and made sure counselors were on hand for distressed students. Most students in younger grades seemed largely unaware of the events in Texas, Cochrane said. But not so for school staff.
“It was really hard for everyone to come to work today,” Cochrane said. “Because it’s another reminder that we’re not safe in public spaces.”
At Brattleboro Union High School, some students were “in a little bit of shock, I guess,” said Chris Day, an assistant principal. “They’re not sure how to absorb it.”
The school had lowered its flag to half-staff and held a moment of silence for the shooting victims. Counselors were also available for students and staff.
“It’s awful, the thing that happened to them,” Day said of Tuesday’s shooting. “They were so close to the end of the year. And it’s been a tough, tough year for educators nationwide, just coming back from COVID.”
In a statement, Vermont Secretary of Education Dan French urged school communities to inform officials about potential threats and shared counseling and mental health resources.
“This has been a challenging school year in so many ways, and this tragic event will no doubt provoke additional stress and anxiety in our schools,” French said. “Working together, we can ensure the safety of our schools and support one another to continue the essential work of educating our children.”
Vermont schools of all grade levels are required to conduct regular school shooter drills, according to Rob Evans, the state’s School Safety Liaison Officer.
The Vermont School Safety Center, an initiative created through a partnership between the Agency of Education and the Department of Public Safety, conducts safety trainings at schools and its staff has helped set up an anonymous tip line for potential threats, Evans said.
“There’s been just a tremendous amount of effort by our partners to ensure that we’re doing all the things that we can to protect our kids in our schools,” Evans said.
In Montpelier, the possibility of violence hit close to home. On Wednesday, the Montpelier Police Department announced that they had issued a protective order and confiscated guns and ammunition in response to a threat made against Montpelier High School.
“An incredibly brave student and staff members came forward to the administration regarding threats they heard made by a student against the school,” Montpelier Roxbury Superintendent Libby Bonesteel said in a letter to community members.
“The (Montpelier Police Department) was contacted and took swift action,” Bonesteel wrote. “After a protective order was issued, the MPD confiscated two weapons and ammunition from the home. The student in question will not return to MHS this school year and is cooperating with officials.”
That investigation began last week, officials said, but was not divulged until now to protect the people involved.
Adam Silverman, a spokesperson for the Vermont State Police, said Wednesday that state officials were not aware of any “copycat threats or other current areas of concern regarding schools in our coverage area” after Tuesday’s shooting in Texas.
State officials have logged 74 threats directed at Vermont schools during the 2021-22 school year, according to Silverman. That figure represents an uptick from past years, he said, although it’s unclear whether that is simply because more people than ever are reporting threats.
Schools in Vermont and across the country are also grappling with an increase in misbehavior and acting out.
“It’s important not to dismiss a concern, even a small one, with the belief that ‘it can’t happen here,’” Silverman said.
