FIRST 5 Santa Clara County is deeply saddened as we grieve with the families in Uvalde, who are experiencing pain no one should have to bear. School should be a place of safety, not a place where parents worry about what might happen after they drop off their children every morning.
Shootings in schools have occurred in increasing frequency—already 27 to date this year in the United States. Yet no significant changes have been made to address mass gun violence in America. Neutrality cannot exist when children and their families are denied their rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as the result of perversion of the 2nd Amendment. We urge those with the opportunity to take a stand against gun violence in our communities as we all cope with this devastating tragedy.
Here are some resources to help support important conversations with children during times of school tragedies:
- Talking to Children About Tragedies (American Academy of Pediatrics)
- Helping Kids After a Shooting (American School Counselor Association)
- How to Talk to Kids About School Shootings (Common Sense Media)
- Helping Children Cope with Frightening News (Child Mind Institute)
- Helping Children Cope with Terrorism (National Association of School Psychologists)
- Talking to Children about the Shooting (National Child Traumatic Stress Network)
- Supporting Families: Young Children and Gun Violence (Zero to Three)
