When Tragedy Strikes Close: A Principal's Response to the Apalachee Shooting

Hey Advocates,

My initial plans for this week's Weekend Voice were put on hold due to the recent shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia. I'm heartbroken, scared, and enraged. You may know by now that I recently returned to school as a high school principal. I moved from Idaho to Phoenix in April, and I'm at a loss for words.

Don't get me wrong, I get emotional whenever there's a school shooting. It's hard for me to read and watch the updates. This marks the 24th school shooting in 2024, and honestly, this one hit me differently. As a full-time consultant, I had the privilege of entering a school for a half-day, full-day, or sometimes a few days at a time. Then I would return home and prepare for my next session. But as a school principal, this tragedy has given me a new perspective.

I began to tear up when I read about what happened to Richard Aspinwall, an assistant football coach and math teacher at Apalachee. Richard's natural instincts kicked in when he heard gunshots—he was trying to protect his students—and he was shot in the chest. He took his last breath in his classroom, in front of his students.

As a principal, I now see things through a different lens. I want to protect my school at all costs, and it angers me that these incidents continue to happen.

I talk about this all the time: safety is the most basic need for all students to foster a sense of belonging. How can we possibly create safe learning environments when our students fear for their lives in their classrooms?

The fact that the shooter was a 14-year-old student armed with an AR-style weapon sends chills down my spine. Even more troubling is that he had been flagged months ago for making threats online, yet no action was taken due to a lack of probable cause.

As someone who is equity-minded, I have a few thoughts. First, are we ready to have a serious conversation about the benefits of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in school, or is it still too taboo or triggering to discuss? At the very least, can we talk about intervention strategies when students are identified as needing additional mental health support? We can't continue to let students fall through the cracks. There must be a better way to ensure that warning signs are addressed.

I don't have all the answers, but I can tell you that I will be working with my team on improving our active shooter protocols. I'm thankful that we have an amazing school counselor, and we will strategize on intentionally enhancing the work we're already doing to support mental health resources and systems crucial to preventing such tragedies.

Clearly, we need more than thoughts and prayers—we need systemic changes to ensure that all students, regardless of their background, feel safe at school. However, I would be remiss not to mention that my deepest sympathies go out to the families of the victims of this tragedy.