Local Doctor Says Talk to Your Kids About Liberty High Shooting
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NORTHEAST JACKSON, Tenn. — A local doctor said if your child was at school Thursday when a 16-year-old allegedly shot a fellow student in the thigh, he or she may be dealing with anxiety or fear. Doctor Peter Gardner said a child may be scared to go to school and may not talk about his or her fears just yet, but if you keep an open line of communication, they will turn to you when they need you most. We have seen and heard the chilling stories about school shootings before, like Newtown, and more recently, Arapahoe, Colorado. For the first time ever, Thursday, it happened at a Jackson-Madison County school. Local parents have strong opinions. “Weapons are wrong, guns are wrong for that age. They are going to school to study and get an education,” Mohammad Al-Jafari, whose children go to other Madison County schools, said. Doctor Peter Gardner said parents should talk to their students about what happened, whether they go to Liberty Tech High or another school. “What to do next time something like this happens, how to remain safe. The main thing about these is to emphasize measures are being taken to prove safety for the kids,” Dr. Gardner said. He said if your child does not want to talk about it, keep an open line of communication and wait until they are ready to talk. “Create an environment where they feel comfortable coming to you and talking to you about things when they’re ready,” Dr. Gardner said. But he said one of the most important things to do if your child was at Liberty Tech on Thursday is after talking about it, not to dwell on it. “Life must go on. That is real important that people understand that, especially young people, life moves forward and goes on,” Dr. Gardner said. Al-Jafari said when his daughters express concern of violence in schools, he assures them school shootings are rare occurrences. “Go to school and try. It was just somebody stupid. Not all students are like this,” Al-Jafari said. He also said he has 5 kids, his oldest is 30 years old and his youngest is 7. He said he never discussed violence in schools with his older children, but today, it happens too often not to talk to them. Dr. Gardner also said if your child is not opening up, try talking when they are doing something they enjoy, like watching TV.
