Most Iowans continue to reel under the tragedy of the Perry school shootings.
Strength of Perry. The rash of mass shootings has spread to our rural area of Iowa. We do not doubt the community of Perry and those surrounding Perry with close ties will recover with strength and resilience. As typically happens with a mass shooting, there will be talk of what might have prevented it, the best way forward and what policies could be enacted to stop future occasions.
Perry public school educators and staff were heroes during the shooting; they were heroes before and after the shooting. In recent years distorted and false generalizations about teachers and public schools have filled Republican talking points and seeped into households, many dependent on public education.
Humanity and heroes in Perry. There will be much discussion with disagreements and uncertainties, but one thing we do know is that our Perry Schools staff and administrators were heroes. They followed training protocols and protected children in a terrifying situation that really has no protocol. It is the most extreme and dangerous example of how our public school teachers have been given responsibilities that go far beyond “teaching”.
Everyday challenges continue. Counselors are a fundamental part of staff because some children come to school so overwhelmed by personal circumstances, they are unable to focus on the task at hand-learning. Our governor and Legislature have the resources and authority to direct additional mental health dollars to our schools and to beef up, not diminish, our AEAs.
We can do better for Perry and for all of Iowa. The day of the shooting, we heard Gov Reynolds at the press conference praising our teachers and announcing all the resources available to our victims. No one has done more to decrease funding levels for public education and demean its teachers than Republican leaders.
Perry and public schools deserve our support. Iowa’s robust public school system was established by our early settlers because they knew ALL children needed a quality education to maintain a strong democracy. But Iowans’ long history of pride in our public education system is coming to an end. When private schools can accept taxpayer money with no accountability on how those funds are spent, Iowa loses. When private schools can turn away (and send back to the public school) any student they choose if “their needs can’t be met”, public schools like Perry Community Schools and their teachers will lose.
We can do better.
~Mary Weaver, leader of Women’s Caucus of rural Rippey; Ralph Rosenberg of Ames, former State Legislator; and Monica Pietz, leader of Perry Area Democrats. All are members of PRO Iowa 24, a group of concerned Iowans sharing progressive values from Greene, Guthrie, Boone, Story, and Dallas counties
