Are we winning the war in our schools?

It seems like a war is being waged for our children's souls. I have heard the argument that we need to put God back into our schools, but what happens if God is present but not books that expand their minds and critical thinking skills? What happens if God is present but joined by shooters with assault rifles? What happens if God is present but the ability to attain food at a free or reasonable price is taken away? What if God is present, but the teachers who actually care about teaching and the well-being of our students go home?

God is the source of our strength and is present wherever we go. However, we cannot expect God to act alone. I believe God wants us to use our agency to advocate for our children's education and security. We cannot allow our faith alone to protect our children because, despite our continued thoughts and prayers, we are losing a war that will impact future generations.

It is troubling to see school systems banning books that provide cultural education, not only for students who see themselves in the stories but, more importantly, for students who may never learn about the contributions that those who do not look like them have made to this society. The failure to provide this teaching is not about teaching one group to hate another group but about teaching both groups about the complicated history that has formed these United States of America. Reducing access to this information will further promote the notion of supremacy among one group while diminishing the contributions of others.

There have been 376 school shootings since the 1999 Columbine incidents. At some point, we must take a stand because the incidents, directly and indirectly, affect us all. I read an article recently that discussed the trauma kids who have survived mass shootings are coping with. No, it may not have happened in your community yet, but a failure to address why assault rifles are permissible in our society means that it is only a matter of time before it hits close to your home. We must grapple with providing mental wellness support for students within these schools and students wondering if their school will be next. As a student more than 20 years ago, I had a lot of concerns, but the fear of an active shooter on my college campus or in the halls of elementary, middle, or high school was never on the list. By not advocating for the ban on assault rifles, are we saying it is acceptable for our children to live in fear?

At this point, I am less concerned with winning the war for our children because I am not confident we have developed a strategy to fight for them. How many of us, me included, see the headlines, and subconsciously ignore what is a painful reality for many of our brothers and sisters? How many of us hear the arguments about cutting access to free and reduced meals, the shortage of teachers, and the lack of resources in some schools and think it does not affect us?

The reality is that these issues may not affect us today, but we have to consider the damage we are doing in the lives of a future generation and how that damage will impact us for generations to come. When we allow conditions that are not conducive to learning to become the standard, we are creating an uneducated future workforce, as well as young people who may deal with PTSD, anxiety, and a plethora of emotional issues.

Finally, we must recognize the war on public schools in favor of charter schools. This movement has been one of the most troubling but also one of the most promising; however, I wonder what conversations are being had to understand how charter schools can benefit the faith community. We can argue the merits of desegregation but one of my greatest disappointments is that we allowed public schools with government control to dictate what and how our children would learn. Call me naïve and nostalgic, but I long for the days when communities developed curricula for their children and the teachers were from the community and had a relationship with the families in the school. Could charter schools be one of the solutions to the issues we are dealing with? I am not sure, but I think it’s worth discussing.

There is a war happening in our schools, and many would argue that this war has been happening for decades in low to moderate-income communities; we cannot deny that. But I want to call on the faith community to decide if this is a war we believe is worth fighting, and if so, where do we start? How do we address the systemic issues that will impact our future generations? How do we ensure all students are not only proficient in STEAM but that they are also culturally competent? How do we ensure a higher quality of life for teachers while providing access to meals and digital tools so students will be competitive with their peers? What legislation must be confronted with counter-legislation on the local, state, and federal levels? Who do we need to talk to? But most importantly, how do we support legislation that will increase the probability that more students come home to their parents and not have their lives cut short or traumatized by weapons of war in a peaceful society?

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