Shooting at an elementary school in CT.

[lovinmomma]

They are now saying 20 children dead.

[lovinmomma]

2 died at the hospital.

[lovinmomma]

6 adults.

[lovinmomma]

That would leave 1 additional person at the hospital. I have no idea if that is a child or adult.

[lovinmomma]

The shootings were in 1 section of the school. 2 rooms.

[lil' maids in a row]

Thank you so much for updating.

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

Prayers here for the kids who witnessed anything at all. Here I am, 21 years later, and it's still so damn painful....

[cottonmama]

Prayers here for the kids who witnessed anything at all. Here I am, 21 years later, and it's still so damn painful....

 

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

[Elinor Everywhere]

They're saying his brother has been found dead, too.

[Jennifer in MI]

Prayers here for the kids who witnessed anything at all. Here I am, 21 years later, and it's still so damn painful....

Oh Cleo. I had no idea. I'm so sorry for what you witnessed.

[OH_Homeschooler]

They're saying his brother has been found dead, too.

 

OK I need to stop following this because they keep changing the story. I've heard the person found at home was actually the brother, not the dad. And now they're even saying they named the wrong brother as the shooter, so not Ryan but Adam.

[jewellsmommy]

2 died at the hospital.

 

 

 

ugh. this is soo frustrating. I think my heart might just explode. My dd wants to know why I keep crying. This is just so wrong.

[Audrey]

It's so horrific. And, so unreal. Why? What kind of mind dreams this up and then does it?

 

I'm the kind of person that needs a why answered. KWIM? On the one hand, I'm thinking it's good the shooter is dead, because that was the most appalling unforgiveable thing that he just did. On the other hand, now we're not going to get the answer to why he did all of this.

[Audrey]

Prayers here for the kids who witnessed anything at all. Here I am, 21 years later, and it's still so damn painful....

 

 

 

I thought of you last week when they were doing the memorial on CBC for that. :grouphug:

[jewellsmommy]

It's so horrific. And, so unreal. Why? What kind of mind dreams this up and then does it?

 

I'm the kind of person that needs a why answered. KWIM? On the one hand, I'm thinking it's good the shooter is dead, because that was the most appalling unforgiveable thing that he just did. On the other hand, now we're not going to get the answer to why he did all of this.

 

 

 

Yes! I want answers. They won't make me happy, but I want them anyway! I just want to shake somebody.

[SunnyDays]

There is evil in the world. That's the only answer I can come up with, there are no GOOD answers for something like this.

 

Okay, one news source is reporting now that Adam Lanza was the shooter and Ryan Lanza is in custody for questioning.

 

And yes... this would be horrific at any time of year, but just before Christmas, with gifts for these kids under the tree, and family gatherings coming up... there are just no words for what it would be like in these homes.

[Unicorn.]

This is so horrifying.

 

My children have never gone to school so this might be an ignorant question but, do some schools have metal detectors or locked doors to prevent this? I hope this doesn't come across as insensitive. I'm just curious if schools routinely have security to prevent such tragedies as this.

 

Elise in NC

 

 

According to news reports, this school had locked doors, and eople had to be let in. I assume since it was a teacher's kid, nobody would have thought twice about letting him in. He wasn't a stranger to the employees.

[DianeW88]

According to news reports, this school had locked doors, and eople had to be let in. I assume since it was a teacher's kid, nobody would have thought twice about letting him in. He wasn't a stranger to the employees.

 

Yes, the shooter was buzzed in. This school did have protective measures in place. People were not allowed into the building unless the staff knew you and unlocked the doors to give you access. I think what parents need to realize is that all of these so-called "security measures" really aren't all that effective. If someone wants to get in there and kill children...they'll find a way to do it.

[A.Balaban]

There is evil in the world. That's the only answer I can come up with, there are no GOOD answers for something like this.

 

Okay, one news source is reporting now that Adam Lanza was the shooter and Ryan Lanza is in custody for questioning.

 

And yes... this would be horrific at any time of year, but just before Christmas, with gifts for these kids under the tree, and family gatherings coming up... there are just no words for what it would be like in these homes.

 

 

This was just confirmed in the news.

[Elinor Everywhere]

Yes, the shooter was buzzed in. This school did have protective measures in place. People were not allowed into the building unless the staff knew you and unlocked the doors to give you access. I think what parents need to realize is that all of these so-called "security measures" really aren't all that effective. If someone wants to get in there and kill children...they'll find a way to do it.

 

 

Exactly. At my kids' high school, I can walk through the gate (it's open) and straight to a classroom. I don't have to stop into the office first for my visitor badge. I'm SUPPOSED to do that, and I'm not SUPPOSED to be able to walk off the street and into a classroom, and there are security guards buzzing around on golf carts, but it's not that difficult.

[OH_Homeschooler]

Yes, the shooter was buzzed in. This school did have protective measures in place. People were not allowed into the building unless the staff knew you and unlocked the doors to give you access. I think what parents need to realize is that all of these so-called "security measures" really aren't all that effective. If someone wants to get in there and kill children...they'll find a way to do it.

 

I don't think that's entirely true. We never (or rarely) hear of the non-incidents that have been avoided.

 

I know in our local paper there are occasionally stories of someone reporting suspicious behavior at a school or park...someone trying to get into a locked building or whatever, and these people are questioned, or police presence increases for a while and that scares away people who don't belong there. We don't know how many tragedies have been avoided, simply because they didn't happen.

[Laurie4b]

I knew the suspect......

 

 

So sorry. That must make it even worse.

[Susan Wise Bauer]

Thank you all for responding with empathy and without political debate.

 

Pray for those poor parents. Hug your kids.

 

SWB

[idnib]

I was folding the kids' laundry and DD4's laundry looked even tinier than usual. :crying:

 

I wish we had better systems to deal with mental illness. What a tragedy.

[charcat13]

I obviously feel so strongly for the parents b/c I am one. I just can't imagine being law enforcement and having to deal with that scene. Praying for all involved.

[MiniBlondes]

I have been in tears and sick to my stomach about this all day. What a horrible, senseless tragedy.

 

I haven't read all of the posts and I've not read any confirmed information on this, but I read somewhere that the shooters mother was an employee at the school. Perhaps that is why he was allowed inside? When my daughters were in school, you had to be buzzed in the building at the main door. If they knew you, they'd see you standing there and buzz you in, and smile and wave as you walked by. They knew that on certain days, certain people showed up for various reasons and they were used to it. Maybe it was something like that?

[Arcadia]

Just heard the news conference on TV. Nothing confirmed yet.

 

This is so horrifying.

 

My children have never gone to school so this might be an ignorant question but, do some schools have metal detectors or locked doors to prevent this? I hope this doesn't come across as insensitive. I'm just curious if schools routinely have security to prevent such tragedies as this.

 

Elise in NC

 

Schools with history of lock down are the ones with metal detectors. I have been to many schools (elementary, middle and high) where you can walk around the whole campus for quite awhile before anyone ask if we are lost and need directions. The security for my neighborhood school is very slack.

 

Yesterday a few high schools were sprayed with grafetti of bomb threats to one teacher. Two schools went into lockdown.

[Sahamamama]

http://news.yahoo.com/man-kills-26-conn-school-including-20-kids-212835177.html

 

20 children have been killed!

[TravelingChris]

The brother, Ryan, says the Adam was either autistic or Aspergers.

[Forget-Me-Not]

It's so unthinkably wrong. How does this happen?

[Jennifer3141]

I never quite know what to say to my friends about stuff like this. I saw that there was a shooting in Connecticut early this morning but we've had holiday music on all day and just puttered around the house. The last I knew, someone was shot in the foot. Then my best friend called me all scared on her way to pick up her DD and I didn't know why she was so upset.

 

I'm so darn grateful for homeschooling on days like today. I didn't have to wait 4 hours to hug my kids. I just called them from the snow hill and bribed them with hot chocolate.

[butterflymommy]

The brother, Ryan, says the Adam was either autistic or Aspergers.

 

Oh no... Anders Breivik (norway mass shootings) was diagnosed with AS. My heart goes out to the families. Even if the school had tight security it was a teacher's son so they would have let him in.

[Punks in Ontario]

Prayers here for the kids who witnessed anything at all. Here I am, 21 years later, and it's still so damn painful....

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: I was praying for you when I saw this. And the families involved. Has it been 21 years?

[Jennifer3141]

 

 

While I agree with most of your list, I just want to point out that Christians are not the only ones with "values" and "morals."

 

astrid

 

 

Thanks so much for stating the obvious, Astrid!

[Elinor Everywhere]

According to this CBS NYNews report, the school had just tightened security, but they didn't account for someone they knew being a shooter.

 

 

 

That's so true. If I was on security and I knew the child of a teacher, I'd have let them through, too (assuming he'd been there many times before).

[Remudamom]

None of this does any good now, but they should have stuck to their security methods. Anyone can do something like this. Anyone.

[Just Kate]

None of this does any good now, but they should have stuck to their security methods. Anyone can do something like this. Anyone.

 

 

How do you know they didn't?

 

(not being snarky...just curious)

[Joanne]

IMO- violent video games/movies, loss of morals/lack of Christian values, medicating children, drug/alcohol use with young adults, dealing with bullies, major economic issues, broken families...

 

I have no problems with guns... a gun in the wrong hands- that's the problem.

 

 

This is a sick, twisted, trajedy. In fact, there are not words or adjectives strong enough to describe it.

 

But this is one event among how many schools and students?

 

Violence in movies and games was present from the time movies started. "Westerns", as just one example, were quite popular in the decades so many with your view hold as icons of virtue.

 

Loss of morals and Christian values is a rather nebulous and elusive criteria to evaluate and track.

 

Medicating children? - Children today are born into a complicated environment of chemical onslaught. The combination of increased information and perhaps increasing *physiological impact* creates a need to identify and treat medically anchored issues that might have a mental health component. Nonetheless, I am not sure what this has to do at all with today's murders.

 

Drug and alcohol (especially alcohol) use has been common for generations in teens.

 

Bullies are not new - many on this board dealt with them; it's the primary reason many of us ended up homeschooling.

 

Major economic issues are present throughout the US' history. Do you think Ma and Pa Ingalls had it made?

 

Broken homes is a perjorative, judgmental, emotionally laden term. It's also inaccurate. Many homes feature an undivorced family, but are far more "broken" than mine was post divorce.

 

 

Let's not use this event as a vehicle to feature our version of what's wrong. This is not a time to suspend critical thinking and common sense.

[Susan Wise Bauer]

Chiming in to agree with everything Joanne just said.

 

SWB

[Jennifer3141]

I'm so sick of the media at stuff like this. I'm sick of the pictures of parents with with obvious long range lenses. The LAST thing in the world I would ever want to be able to google is a picture of my face five minutes after they told me my children were dead.

 

And I'm sick of the pictures of children. Those survivors are victims too and even in a crisis, those victims (and their parents!!!) have a right to privacy.

 

There will be discussions aplenty in the coming days but what I would really like to talk about is this, to start with. I wonder how desensitized we have become to violence when it's perfectly ok to scroll through 64 pictures of grieving family or injured children. Geesh.

 

And I love how the media is now blurring some of the kids' faces. Yeah, two hours after that photo has been on the internet, that is very helpful. :glare:

[Sahamamama]

I've been reading the articles and looking at the photos... it's just mind-boggling, even though we know that "these things happen." There is one photo of a dad walking along with his son (orange shirt), and I wonder what's going on in his mind? His son is there, alive, able to go to school another day...

 

What will these parents do, the parents whose children make it home? I can't imagine the fear they have to face, the fear their children will have to face, to walk back into that school building. Or any other school building.

 

Will life ever feel "normal" for them again?

 

My thoughts and prayers go out to that entire community. May you somehow, someday, find Peace.

[learningmama]

This is a sick, twisted, trajedy. In fact, there are not words or adjectives strong enough to describe it.

 

But this is one event among how many schools and students?

 

Violence in movies and games was present from the time movies started. "Westerns", as just one example, were quite popular in the decades so many with your view hold as icons of virtue.

 

Loss of morals and Christian values is a rather nebulous and elusive criteria to evaluate and track.

 

Medicating children? - Children today are born into a complicated environment of chemical onslaught. The combination of increased information and perhaps increasing *physiological impact* creates a need to identify and treat medically anchored issues that might have a mental health component. Nonetheless, I am not sure what this has to do at all with today's murders.

 

Drug and alcohol (especially alcohol) use has been common for generations in teens.

 

Bullies are not new - many on this board dealt with them; it's the primary reason many of us ended up homeschooling.

 

Major economic issues are present throughout the US' history. Do you think Ma and Pa Ingalls had it made?

 

Broken homes is a perjorative, judgmental, emotionally laden term. It's also inaccurate. Many homes feature an undivorced family, but are far more "broken" than mine was post divorce.

 

 

Let's not use this event as a vehicle to feature our version of what's wrong. This is not a time to suspend critical thinking and common sense.

 

 

 

I was just expressing my opinion because someone asked why this could happen- it's a discussion board. The world is evil, what can I say? It has been through the ages.

[Aoife]

just wanted to say as an adult with AS that also has a HFA child, ASD has nothing to do with this....... I would hate to see AS painted as a disease that causes one to go mental and slaughter innocent people. My HFA is a sweet caring young man that would never intentionally hurt anyone.

[Nan in Mass]

At 7pm EST, my clan is putting a candle in a window and singing Dona Nobis Pachem (Give us peace). Anyone is welcome to join us.

[Remudamom]

 

How do you know they didn't?

 

(not being snarky...just curious)

 

 

Well...........someone thought he had been let in because he was the son of a teacher. Who knows if that is true or not? The whole thing is unspeakable. Honestly, I'm not even sad at this point. Just angry.

[Jennifer in MI]

just wanted to say as an adult with AS that also has a HFA child, ASD has nothing to do with this....... I would hate to see AS painted as a disease that causes one to go mental and slaughter innocent people. My HFA is a sweet caring young man that would never intentionally hurt anyone.

 

 

I know. My Aspie is the most gentle child out there. He read that the killer in this case may have AS and he was horrified. I am so sad for him.

[5LittleMonkeys]

I wonder how desensitized we have become to violence when it's perfectly ok to scroll through 64 pictures of grieving family or injured children.

 

 

It's not perfectly ok with me. I haven't scrolled through any pictures nor spent hours pouring over news feeds. I refuse to feed that monster. I won't. I can't. I know that it happened and that is horrific enough for me. I don't need details.

 

Praying for those families.

[Sahamamama]

I'm so sick of the media at stuff like this. I'm sick of the pictures of parents with with obvious long range lenses. The LAST thing in the world I would ever want to be able to google is a picture of my face five minutes after they told me my children were dead.

 

And I'm sick of the pictures of children. Those survivors are victims too and even in a crisis, those victims (and their parents!!!) have a right to privacy.

 

There will be discussions aplenty in the coming days but what I would really like to talk about is this, to start with. I wonder how desensitized we have become to violence when it's perfectly ok to scroll through 64 pictures of grieving family or injured children. Geesh.

 

And I love how the media is now blurring some of the kids' faces. Yeah, two hours after that photo has been on the internet, that is very helpful. :glare:

 

 

I agree that the media's lack of sensitivity and respect for privacy is appalling, but the average person looks at the photos simply because they are there, as part of the article. I also think we seek to understand what happened, or even to believe that this has happened. We don't just get local news, we get news from all over the world -- photos are part of the news we absorb, and they are shocking at times.

 

Different thought -- I just read the phrase "shortly after 9 am this morning." You know what I was doing "shortly after 9 am this morning?" I getting out of bed (recovering from kidney stones/UTI). I certainly wasn't thinking, "Hey, my child might be shot." It was the last thing on my mind, and on the minds of those unfortunate parents. How do you know when you've started your Most Life-Changing Day?

[happyhomemaker25]

I'm so sick of the media at stuff like this. I'm sick of the pictures of parents with with obvious long range lenses. The LAST thing in the world I would ever want to be able to google is a picture of my face five minutes after they told me my children were dead.

 

And I'm sick of the pictures of children. Those survivors are victims too and even in a crisis, those victims (and their parents!!!) have a right to privacy.

 

There will be discussions aplenty in the coming days but what I would really like to talk about is this, to start with. I wonder how desensitized we have become to violence when it's perfectly ok to scroll through 64 pictures of grieving family or injured children. Geesh.

 

And I love how the media is now blurring some of the kids' faces. Yeah, two hours after that photo has been on the internet, that is very helpful. :glare:

 

 

 

I for one am not desensitized to it. I saw one picture. It was on the front page. They were leading a line of children out of the building. They were terrified children. I can't get it out of my head and I get so sad when it pops back out to the front of my mind. Poor babies.

That was totally not meant to be snarky towards you, it was just when I read your post the picture popped into my head again and I got teary eyed.. again.

[amy g.]

My child with AS said, "At least he wasn't homeschooled"

 

I do worry about the repercussions for everyone who is in any way different.