Wednesday, March 6, 2013
In the wake of Sandy Hook, readers are just looking for common-sense solutions.
As reported earlier in the week, neirghboring St. Charles School District 303 is getting ready to spend more than $300,000 to upgrade school security. That led to a question and discussion as to whether upgrades are needed here in Geneva. In a sampling of Geneva Facebook comments, readers are hoping for common-sense solutions to keep schools safe—without breaking the bank. Here are some comments: You can read more comments on the Geneva Patch Facebook page and leave your own comment in the field below. Click the "Keep Me Posted" button below this text.
Monday, December 24, 2012
A temporary ban on toy guns. Really? Does that do anything to address the violence at Sandy Hook?
My younger son and his friends love to play with Airsoft guns. We’d prefer he indulge in his less-violent interests, but my wife and I have come to realize that capricious household bans often backfire and those toys aren’t nearly as dangerous as the BB guns of our youth. For the uninitiated, Airsoft guns, which may or may not be smaller-sized replicas of the real thing, are generally plastic contraptions that fire various caliber plastic BBs at very low velocities. If the boys wear sweatshirts and the masks the company sells, they can engage in a far cleaner version of paintball without fear of injury or collateral damage. So as you might imagine, with some pre-Christmas money burning a hole clean through his right hand pocket, my son and…
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Resident finds gift card on vehicle with a note instructing him to "pay it forward" in memory of the Sandy Hook School victims.
The reverberations from the violence at Sandy Hook School were felt far beyond Newtown, CT, inspiring great sympathy but also fear among parents and educators in communities across the nation. Perhaps that is why, even as a nation reaches out in big and small ways to help a grieving Connecticut community, some have been inspired to do the same in their own communities. One might dismiss what a St. Charles man found on his vehicle last week as the result of Christmas spirit. Those who celebrate the season do, after all, take delight in secret gift-giving and spreading seasonal cheer. Except the note that accompanied the $10 gift card to Panera Bread made it clear this gift was not a typical season’s greeting: It was a request to bless …
After the tragedy at Sandy Hook, a Fox Valley area teacher calls on teachers as well as public officials to demand gun control.
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Sunday, December 23, 2012
Safe schools lead to safer students who are more likely to be better learners. The Connecticut shooting last week shattered the families of 20 little first graders. Colorado’s theater shooting a few months ago claimed the lives of several college students. Chicago neighborhood teens routinely risk their lives en route to their middle and high schools. Gun violence accounts for a significant number of deaths of children under the age of 18- our students. Gun Control would facilitate students getting to and from school in one piece and focus their attention during the school day on learning instead of safety. New York’s Mayor Bloomberg recently challenged police officers to demand gun control. “Others run away when they hear gunfire, but …
Friday, December 21, 2012
There is no single solution to school shootings.
My initial reaction to the tragedy was to apply all my energy into coming up with the single solution that would forever relegate school shootings to history’s dustbin. But as I spent that afternoon speaking with local law enforcement officers, school administrators and parents, I quickly realized I was engaging in what could only be called a fool’s errand. The truth is, even if we stationed a police officer at every school, it wouldn’t be enough. But that doesn’t mean we stop trying. Whenever I hear people chalk mass killings up to “evil,” it makes me want to scream because that leaves us randomly dangling in the winds of a cruel fate. I refuse to believe in that kind of inevitability. Evil isn’t something that’s thrust upon us, it’s …
Your local Patch site will go dark during national observance for victims of the Sandy Hook tragedy.
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Friday, December 21, 2012
Patch sites around America, including yours, will take part in a National Moment of Silence at 8:30 a.m. Central time on Friday. At that hour, the website will go blank for 5 minutes. The page will be replaced by a message noting the National Moment of Silence, and a link will direct viewers to a website that explains ways you can join the campaign to help the people of Sandy Hook. The Moment of Silence coincides with one across social media sites. Over 100,000 people have pledged not to tweet or post to Facebook, reports TechCrunch, including Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, Britney Spears, Suze Orman, Tyler Florence, Goldie Hawn, and Joe Montana. After 5 minutes, the website operation will return to normal. Looking for ways to help the …
Jeff Ward
2:06 pm on Thursday, December 27, 2012
Jon, Though I probably shouldn't be surprised, I can't believe someone actually wrote, "Using your logic we should ban all passenger planes." Really??? No, but they certainly banned anyone from taking a box cutters on a airplane. more ›