From teasing to fist fights, our society is obsessed with trying to take all risk and pain out of life, particularly for children. It is natural to be concerned for your child after a horrific event, but making policy based on that emotion may make you feel better but it is misguided. The Herald-Sun today reports on Orange County Schools’ decision to put cops on elementary school campuses. Joel Rosch of Duke University says it would be a mistake to put permanent resources into that effort.
Despite the tragic and dramatic events in Newtown, Rosch said, schools remain safe overall for children and teachers.
“Schools are still by far the safest place for children to be, statistically,” he said. “Many more kids die in cars, in fires, in domestic fights between moms and dads. Schools are about the safest place for a child to be. I don’t think anything is second.”
For those calling for a ban on guns because guns happened to be the weapon of choice in the evil perpetrated in Newtown, I ask this question: Should we also ban cars, matches, and moms and dads in order to protect kids? They are clearly more of a threat. If you’re thinking, oh please, that’s silly, you’re right. We have a broken society with many people who have serious, serious behavior problems and a desire to inflict pain on others. When will we start talking honestly about the break-up of the family and the Great Society’s negative impact on the family, rather than misguided calls for gun bans and police at elementary schools?
