Editor:
I recently attended the Colorado Organization of Victims Assistance (COVA) conference. I was privileged to hear from a daughter who lost her father in the Columbine shooting and a father who lost his daughter in the shooting at Bailey (Platte Canyon) High School.
The daughter spoke about her father, a teacher at Columbine, who gave his life to save others. She talked about how students and teachers would come up to her and tell her they are alive because of him. She talked about a lot of things that made me stop and think about our own school district kids. She talked about the pain of losing her dad and how it changed the way she sees normal now.
I listened to a father talk about how a 52 year old stranger came into the high school, how police were at the high school within three minutes, and how a long ordeal ended in the loss of his daughter. He was a very dynamic speaker and spent 2.5 hours letting us see just a glimpse of what he went through and how it changed his life.
I thought about the world now, our high school, and just how safe are our schools. When I got back I asked my youngest son if he thought the high school was safe. He graduated a few years ago from Montezuma-Cortez High School and I felt had a pretty good idea of the safety at the high school. He told me no, the high school was not safe because there were too many ways to get into the building.
The father whose daughter was killed in Bailey made one very loud impression on me. He said, We never thought it would happen here! We are a quiet small town. He also stated, Dont think it cant happen to your school.
I want to take the time now to build a new school that will keep my grandchildren and other children safe. We cannot plan for everything, but we have the opportunity to come together as a community in keeping our students safe.
Keri Mustoe
Cortez
Via CortezJournal.com