Aloha Kam,
I appreciate your essay on guns in school. We definitely need more cogent and critical debates on the issue. Every time it happens again on the continental U.S., I cross my fingers and hope our zero school deaths track record in Hawaiʻi's public (and private) schools continues.
I'm a developmental psychologist who spent 33 years in HIDOE K-12 schools at all levels. I also served on the school board at Wai'alae School from 2014 to 2019 while my son was in attendance there. I still work part-time at UH Mānoa, mostly teaching undergrads (I'm semi-retired). Here are my thoughts about your essay:
I think you are too dismissive of kids with serious psychological or emotional problems, given that about 11% of HIDOE students fit the IDEA (special education) framework — that's about 17,500 kids in our SPED programs with teachers constantly go above and beyond.
- Your Pub Med NIH link noted this about school shooters: the current body of evidence remains fragmented and inconsistent.
- Despite data limitations, some recurrent features emerged, such as social isolation, traumatic experiences (e.g., bullying, dysfunctional families), and problematic psychological traits (e.g., depression, narcissism, lack of empathy).
- The review underscores the urgency of overcoming current research dispersion to identify meaningful patterns and dynamics.
- My own POV: In a nation with more guns in residents' hands than there are residents, the Second Amendment is "forcing the hand of all U.S. schools." Also, how do we manage dropouts or kids of recalcitrant parents whose kids hate school and have access to family guns?
More to my specific concern: There may be ways to randomize and train sufficient staff at all schools so that psychopaths who want to go back to their former classroom(s) [special education or otherwise] to blow anyone away in sight realize no school is an easy target. As I read your essay, I infer that you'd prefer for all teachers and staff to be trained and weapon-ready. Or have I misread your core message? With 484 K-12 public and private schools in Hawaiʻi (I don't think this number includes preschools), are you asking for "bank-proof, armed protectors" at all schools in the Aloha State? What fearful image would that create for young kids (especially grades K-5)... every where I walk is a danger zone?
I fully agree there is no easy solution but with a half century in public school settings in Hawaiʻi, your essay seems to "go off the rails" a bit:
... “All-you-can-kill buffet.” and there’s a stupid sign on the school that says, “gun-free zone.” Your point is clear about the shortcomings of this approach but are you really advocating for a shift that fully arms all schools? If so, how?
The Second Amendment may be with us forever and, as long as it is, we are facing a losing battle. Even with excellent services for all public and private school kids, in Hawaiʻi, how can we reach or provide needed psychological services for all kids including dropouts and home schoolers?
Hawaiʻi can build on its fortunate track record so far. We can come up with creative robust options other than “gun-free zones,” but to do so we have to do better than harp on how misguided the current approach is. People die in cars, swimming, flying, hiking, etc. but what you've stated so far comes up short in terms of clear, viable solutions when you frame it as you have in clarion call.
I hope you take time to read this. I've followed your career with admiration knowing you are one of our public school prodigies! We need to join arms and hearts in both the public and private sectors to hash out and revise school policies with reason and aloha.
Rod Todorovich,
College of Education, UH Mānoa
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