TITLE:
Lessons Learned from the Robb Elementary School, Uvalde, Texas School Shooting
AUTHORS:
John Fisher
KEYWORDS:
School Shooting, School Security, Safety
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.12 No.4,
April
17,
2024
ABSTRACT: Since the country was first shocked by the Columbine school shootings on April 20, 1999, there have been 337 school shootings. One of the most recent examples was in Uvalde, Texas, where on May 24, 2022, a mass murderer entered Robb Elementary School with a Daniel Defense Armalite Rifle. He fired 140 rounds in total, killing 19 children and 2 teachers. The subsequent review of the actions taken by the independent school district (ISD), local and federal Law Enforcement, the media, and the parents has shown several missteps and lapses in judgment. The greatest threat to future mass murder events in schools is complacency. We explore lessons learned from Uvalde and other school shootings, with an emphasis on steps educators and law enforcement can take to ensure preparedness and reduce the likelihood that tragedies like Uvalde are not repeated. In particular, we explore how educators can combat a false sense of security, and emphasize the “five D’s” (deny, deter, detect, delay, and destroy) of security.