76 of 106

Write now Article Tools

What happened at Virginia Tech, on Monday, April 16, 2007 is a tragedy, but are we as a society partly to blame for this and other tragic events that happen in our schools today? In this country, when a child reaches the age of 18, he or she is considered a legal adult and given the same "rights" as others in their 30's, 40's and 50's. How can we possibly think that all 18 year old people are mature enough and ready for the responsibilities that we place upon them.

In the case of the Virginia Tech shooting, a 23 year old Asian male was allowed to continue to attend classes and live on campus with two roommates even though he was demonstrating some unusual behavior patterns. Pulled out of a class and being taught by a tutor who observed the unusual and unsettling behavior - but because of the "rights" of this student to privacy, Cho's parents could not be contacted. Cho wrote about killing people, but "we must protect his rights to privacy". What has this world come to?

The government needs to change the laws regarding the privacy of students on our campuses, to ensure the safety of all students on our campuses. Because of the worry of being sued, not one person even thought of contacting Cho's parents with the hopes that they may be able to get him the help he needed.

The question is always asked, "is there something that could have been done differently that might have prevented this tragic situation"? We as a society, our government and our campus officials need to start doing what is necessary to prevent another tragedy. We have seen it time and time again - we should have learned by now that tragedies happen when people are afraid to stick their neck out to help someone.

Things in this country really need to change, before another tragedy happens.

Learn more about this author, Jill Sznajder.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Reflections: Virginia Tech school shooting?
We want to hear your view. Write now!