Next year, my little boy starts kindergarten, and I'm honestly terrified of sending him to school in today's world.

I lived in the Bend, Oregon community for years, and hearing about yesterday's tragic school shooting hit incredibly close to home. My heart breaks for those families.

I think it's easy to have an out of sight, out of mind mentality when these tragedies happen, simply because the thought of something happening to our own children is too horrible to imagine. But we shouldn't have to wait until it happens in our community to do something.

That's why I'm hoping we can come together and ask Warren Consolidated Schools to consider placing a trained, armed security officer at every school, including our elementary schools.

I appreciate the security measures schools already have in place, like cameras, locked entrances, and double doors. But yesterday was another reminder that those measures alone aren't enough. The shooter reportedly fired through locked doors, and thankfully, a nearby father with a CPL was able to intervene and stop the threat within minutes.

Imagine if every school had someone trained, armed, and ready to respond already on-site.

Neighboring districts like Lake Shore and Anchor Bay have invested in armed school security. I'd love to see Warren Consolidated Schools follow their example.

This isn't about politics or gun control. Regardless of our beliefs, we all want the same thing: for our children to come home safely. No security measure is a guarantee, but having someone there to respond immediately could save lives.

I know funding isn't simple, but I can't think of a better investment than protecting our children.

I'm not criticizing our district. I'm simply a mom who wants to do everything possible to keep our babies safe, and I'm hoping other parents feel the same way.

Please consider signing and sharing this petition so we can respectfully encourage our school board to make armed security at every school a priority.