My perspective on student safety changed forever after yesterday's tragic event at Feather River Adventist School. The safety of our children requires immediate reassessment. Today we have law enforcement on-site after the incident, and that level of security should be a norm, not a response to a disaster. 

School shootings have become a devastatingly common occurrence in our country. As an employee of a school situated just miles away from the location of a recent horrific event, the fear and reality are too real to ignore. It is more than evident that a substantial change is needed in our schools' security systems.

The National Center for Education Statistics reports that during the 2017-2018 academic year, 48 percent of public schools reported at least one violent incident. These alarming numbers indicate that school shootings are not isolated incidents; they are part of an increasingly problematic pattern.

The presence of armed guards has been shown to deter potential perpetuators and provide an immediate response in the event an incident occurs. Yet, despite this, there is no nationwide requirement for schools to have around-the-clock protection from law enforcement or armed guards.

The time to act is now. In memory of the countless lives lost and to honor the safety of future generations, it is proposed that all schools – whether public or private and regardless of the student body’s size – have mandatory presence of armed guards. We owe it to our children and their educators to make this crucial change.

I urge you to sign this petition in the hopes of providing a safer educational environment for our children. The past cannot be changed, but the future is still in our hands. Let us act now before we have to react later.