Kindness, decency needed to combat threats

Last week parents, families, school employees and community members in Medford were put on high alert after a local resident made comments that school officials and law enforcement perceived as potential threats.

A sad reality in modern America is that any threat, no matter how remote, must be taken seriously. There is zero room for error when it comes to ensuring the safety of students, staff and the community, even if the potential of action is very low.

In response to the threat, the school district alerted families and law enforcement spent additional time and resources investigating and dealing with the situation. Many parents chose to keep their children home from school last Friday. Others went on social media expressing concern about school safety and security measures.

Fortunately in this case, the situation was resolved without violence and without risk to students and staff. For families and the community as a whole, however, tensions remain high wondering how many times the local community can dodge the proverbial bullet.

Children and parents should never have to feel afraid to go to a school building. Our schools should be places of shelter and sanctuary in a chaotic world where children can grow and learn. Schools should serve like greenhouses where in a protected and secure environment children can grow and thrive.

It would be nice to live in that world. Unfortunately, for many, that sense of safety and security is a thing of the past.

One only needs to spend a few minutes scanning social media posts or listen to what passes for political exchanges on news channels to see a glimpse of the root cause of these issues — a disturbing lack of kindness and empathy toward other people.

Things like integrity, honesty, common decency and kindness to others used to matter a great deal. Character did indeed count for something. From that rosecolored view of the past, discourse in America has degenerated to where people with whom you disagree are viewed as being somehow inferior or less than human and not worthy of respect or kindness.

This is terrifying and leads to nothing but an ever-escalating series of tragedies.

Americans must make a conscious effort to push back against those who would undermine institutions such as schools or who would attack the fabric of our communities.

To do this, people must be willing to choose a path of kindness and empathy. They must remember the lesson to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”