In Michigan, the tragic school shooting in Oxford is fresh in our minds and makes it painful to look back four weeks, let alone twelve months. Even if we push our gaze farther into the past, there is little to see that should make us feel satisfied.
How do we want children to view their time at school? Metal detectors, police officers in the hallways, and frequent “active shooter” emergency drills pose risks for students’ educational experiences. What are the consequences for learning when we constantly remind students that schools are places for feeling afraid rather than places for cultivating enthusiasm about learning?
Significant news media attention this week is directed at the oral arguments heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday in the much-anticipated case of New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. The case presents a challenge to New York’s law that requires individuals to show a special need to defend themselves in order to be granted a license to carry a concealed pistol.