The collaboration between C3, administration, and operations may not be something students thought they needed. Still, a desire to spread awareness of community safety and thinking about what to do in case emergencies happen is a noble effort. Students should take this opportunity to lean into the discussion and take it seriously.

Each week of Community Partnership Month will have a different safety focus. The goal of the focus weeks is to raise awareness community about different safety risks so that students are more prepared for them in the case they do occur. Students should engage within the month during planned discussions with their advisories or practice drills in order to truly be prepared in case their safety is threatened.

Outside of mandated safety drills by the state of Minnesota, the community has not brought much awareness to an ever growing problem such as school shootings in the past. According to EducationWeek, in 2022, U.S. schools experienced 51 school shootings by the end of the year, injuring 100 people and killing 40.

Two of the 51 school shootings occurred in the Twin Cities.

As these numbers continue to grow, the threat of a school shooter also increases. Currently, the number of lockdown drills is limited and discussion around the topic feels hushed.

It is vital that both students and teachers have thought of what they will do in worst case scenarios before they are in an emergency moment.

In an article published by Child Mind Institute, Rachel Emhke and Jamie Howard, freelance writer and PhD respectively, wrote that “Talking to kids about school shootings is important. Kids actually feel less scared when they get to talk about scary things.”

Engaging in planned community discussion during Community Partnership Month can prove to be beneficial in the case a closed campus or active threat scenario does happen.

Additionally, although Minnesota has 47% fewer school fires than the national average according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, the state of Minnesota requires all schools to proceed with five fire drills throughout the year.

While low fire numbers and frequent drills may seem like a good thing, students treat these drills as a mere disturbance in their school day, not acknowledging the importance of these mandated drills. The efforts of Community Partnership Month opened by covering details about fire safety and explained to students why their day is being disrupted.

Community Partnership Month will provide insight and educate students on how to navigate dangerous situations.

Students should be attentive and actively engage throughout the month during each focus week.
Something as simple as sharing an idea or telling a classmate not to goof off makes a world of a difference in staying safe at school.