School shooting survivor shares five ways to keep kids safe this year

By Rebecca Powell, examiner.com

When it comes to school safety, many parents wonder just what they can do to help insure their tween stays safe in what should be a danger-free zone: school.

Missy Jenkins was paralyzed from the waist down in the 1997 Heath High School shooting that occurred in West Paducah, Ky. In her new book, I Choose to Be Happy, she chronicles her journey from the day that fellow student Michael Carneal went on his shooting rampage to her life today as a survivor and a champion of every effort to keep violence out of schools. As an author, speaker, and social worker, Missy believes that parents can do a great deal to help their students stay safe at school. She offers these five tips:

1. Ask your kids and their friends questions. Who is going out with whom? Which guys/girls are not getting along? Do the kids ever joke about or talk about being violent?

2. Remember the two B’s: Always take bullying and boasting seriously. Kids often tell someone what they are planning to do.
Keep all firearms properly locked up. Store the key separate from the gun case.

3. If you notice any sudden changes in your tween’s attitude, do some investigating. Do not hesitate to seek the advice of school professionals.

4. Remind your tweens of how to treat each other. Popularity is quickly forgotten, but kindness is always remembered.

5. Parents, school administrators, and teachers must network together to stay on top of violence, expose it, and help tweens handle their frustrations in positive, healthy ways.

For more info: Check out the book, I Choose to Be Happy by Missy Jenkins.