RESPONSIBILITIES AND CONSEQUENCES

There is something to be said for discretion when reporting on certain subjects and there are topics that turn based on how they are reported and by whom. I often hear a comparison made to a game played when I was a child called “Gossip”…I think nowadays it is called “Twitter”. Certainly, this 24-news cycle encourages the over reporting of almost everything. One aspect of our contemporary news cycle is the desperation it creates to find “breaking news” and that desperation has caused fragile victims of tragedies to be hounded mercilessly by the media as their e x p e r i e n c e s are turned into soap opera fodder and civil servants find it increasingly difficult to do their jobs effectively. Last night I attended a Texas City Citizen Police Academy Alumni meeting where the speaker was Mike Matranga, Dr. Rodney Cavness’ choice to tackle the job of security for TCISD. We all sat in stunned silence as he revealed to us how he has approached the critical task of creating a safe learning environment for our children and those who continue to risk stepping into the role of teaching them. We listened as Matranga shared what has been done, only in the last few months, to create that safe haven with minimal disturbance to teacher, student, administrator and parent. That said, I will not go into the specifics that were shared. Just as we chose to step away from Santa Fe as we witnessed the coverage becoming part of the victim’s pain, we will not reveal all the steps that have been taken , the tough decisions that continue to be made, the cost in time, effort, dollars, and emotions, required to create a school environment where children can attend classes, teachers can motivate and inspire, and parents can rest much easier knowing every step is being taken, safeguards we could never imagine even existed have been put in place, and a man with the knowledge, experience, compassion, and respect for the process he is charged with protecting is guiding the way. That said, I am grateful for Dr. Cavness’ insight that allowed him to recognize the need for an expert to guide this process. I am grateful for a city that understands that providing the opportunity for a quality education to every child costs trust, money, and talented, passionate individuals with the courage to make difficult decisions and stand by them. Listening to the circuitous career path Matranga took to gather the knowledge and experience to come back home and answer this call, I cannot imagine another individual that would be a better fit. I will share a few insights from last night. The bond that was passed in the last election is funding this critically important task. The sophistication of the tools being used would indicate huge expense, however that is not the case. The precision of how all the pieces fit together is startling and brilliant. Once again Texas City is leading the way in defining how our country will tackle a complex issue that others will look to for a balanced and effective approach. Matranga was blunt in his assessment of where we are and where we need to be. “No school can be completely safe.” Acknowledging that truth is why we are blessed to have his insights and experience to guide us. “I know how to protect People and buildings. I hire people to tackle the technology.” So, what can we do to support the efforts to keep our children safe? As parents, we can talk to our children and explain that they too have a responsibility in all this. It is our job to help them understand and take seriously the steps being taken. They need to understand that what is happening here is very special; very important and they are a part of helping our country find a way to stop the attacks on our children and our educators. They have a very important role in this process and how seriously they take it will literally save lives of children across our country and perhaps around the world. They are a part of history being made – no exaggeration – and they should remember that every day they walk in to their schools. They are the heroes that may very well put a stop to the horror that has plagued our country since Columbine on April 20, 1999 and became our reality on May 18th of this very year. As we go to the polls this November, we must reflect on what the consequences would have been had we not passed the school bond that has made this all possible. Our actions have consequences. Our inaction has consequences as well. We can choose anger, or we can choose action. We can be silent, or we can speak out. We can blame “them” or we can converse with our neighbors and our friends; and then, we can listen.