Education is the primary piece of advancement of mankind. Education plays a very crucial role in our progress. Human progress is directly proportional to the expansion in the degree of education. The residents of Uvalde understand this pivotal role of education and hence have resumed classes on Tuesday.
The people of Uvalde have exhibited such courage to embrace the importance of education, that the horror of the deadliest school shooting in Texas history shall be dwarfed.
In just under 15 weeks, after the horrifying & lethal school shooting in Texas history, the students will return to school in Uvalde. However, 19 students and 2 educators won’t be joining them.
The School district authorities have maintained a tight-lipped stance during this recommencement. Issuing an official statement, the School district authorities said, “Creating routines and structure can profoundly impact our ability to heal from loss and process grief. As our community continues to recover from the tragedy we experienced, our priority is ensuring that our students, families, and staff can return to teaching, learning, and essential school activities without disruption.”
Safety Measures for Education
A state legislative committee reported the district being underprepared for a mass shooting. Protocols weren’t followed properly and internal and external doors were often left unlocked. The assailant was easily able to climb over a five-foot exterior fence.
Thence, the School administrative authorities have beefed up their security. The authorities have now installed new eight-foot fences, more security cameras, and replacement door locks. Some schools have installed polycarbonate bullet-resistant sheets that cover the front doors.
Educators have been given special training to deal with such scenarios. Security has been tightened with 5 police officers stationed at each campus. All the extra staff have been notified to ensure that all doors remain locked.
Where some families remain skeptical whether the reinforced safety plan for the new school year will be enough to keep students safe, others have had a tough time to decide whether or not to send their children back at all.
Residents chip-in
Residents have made several attempts at helping parents feel safer through various events and familiar rituals. Lockhart residents Louise and Connie Amaya donated around 800 backpacks in August 2022. This drive ran out within 30 minutes of its distribution. Around 100 backpacks carried a “Uvalde Strong” logo to reiterate the belief in the importance of education.
In the same month, Uvalde’s Annual Wellness at the Civic Center saw various residents organized a donation drive at the civic center in Uvalde for the little ones to encourage them to resume schooling. It also included a booth that carried informational material on how to care for the mental and physical health of parents and students. Later in the evening, local businesses organized a summer sendoff block party, where families sang, danced, and enjoyed live music, food, and dancing.
Tough Times
While this has been a testing time for the families as well as the students, many parents recognize the importance of schooling to make their lives better. They have decided to send their precious ones to the school in the face of adversity, demonstrating that Education is truly our primary piece of advancement. While some parents have stated that they and their children would need more time to return to physical classes. The memories of the deadly assault still linger on. Such parents have enrolled their wards in virtual classes.
We hope that this blend of acts for resumption of education by Uvalde and its residents inspire communities world over to embrace loss and sorrow, and exhibit courage in the face of grief.
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