Our hearts and prayers go out today to the parents and loved ones of the students at Chardon High School in Ohio, where, as we all now know, a terrible tragedy occurred yesterday when a student opened fire on other students, killing two. There can be no greater pain in this world than having your own children suffer or die. No amount of sympathy can soothe that pain. Nonetheless, we send all the positive thoughts and love we have to those trying to recover from this senseless tragedy.
Though it is impossible to know at this time just exactly why this occurred, it appears the alleged shooter may, himself have been the victim of past bullying. While certainly no excuse for actions such as these, knowing the cause may help us as a society to head off awful events such as these in the future.
We have often maintained the importance of struggling to eradicate bullying from our society. Yesterdays events serve, if nothing else, to underscore the urgent need for this struggle.
Children learn from the events around them as they grow. The effects of positive role modeling are immense. The value of good teaching even greater. Our children and their futures are too important to leave to chance.
Once again, we urge all schools and communities to implement well planned, and well executed learning programs to teach children the positive benefits of cooperation, and to fight against the always negative practices of bullying on any level, and in any form. Verbal abuse and Cyber bullying are just as damaging as physical bullying. It must all stop. This is something that we as a nation can and must do better at. The alternative is to face more black days like yesterday. No one wants that.