More CNMI students concerned about gun violence

The mass shooting by a student at a Florida high school that killed 17 people is prompting concerns among CNMI students in both public and private schools about how safe they are from gun violence.

According to Mount Carmel School president Galvin Deleon Guerrero, his office has been approached by students and parents about student safety.

“A few parents have approached school officials, and we gave them assurances that we have many policies and procedures in place to ensure the safety of our students and employees,” he said.

“A few students have approached us as well and our school counselors have met with them to ease their anxieties,” he added.

Acting Education commissioner Yvonne “Boni” R. Pangelinan has also received reports of students approaching teachers and counselors for assurances.

“Children have the right to be afraid, especially with incidents like the Florida mass shooting. We have done drills in the past and more drills will be done to get the children equipped, both in natural disaster drills and man-made violence drills,” she said. “Schools have begun that process even before the Florida incident and we have been working to address their concerns.”

The mass shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, left 17 dead. The suspected shooter, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, used to attend at the same school and had access to high-powered ammunition.

Aside from a Crisis Response Team that is activated in any emergency, Deleon Guerrero said that MCS has policies and procedures in place to ensure the safety of students and employees.

“We have strict policies about outside guests, who must sign in at the main office and obtain a visitor’s pass. Any unauthorized visitors are escorted off campus and, if necessary, referred to law enforcement.,” he said.

“In addition, we have 24-hour security services, a video surveillance system, and employees that provide additional supervision throughout the day. We also hold a number of emergency drills, including evacuation drills and active shooter drills throughout the year, all of which utilize coded announcements so as to avoid causing panic among students and to avoid alerting intruders to our drills,” he added.

The CNMI used to prohibit the possession and importation of handguns and ammunitions. U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona later declared the CNMI Weapons Control Act unconstitutional.

In response, the CNMI passed Public Law 19-42, also known as Special Act for Firearms Enforcement that regulates the possession of firearms in the CNMI and Public Law 19-73 in December of the same year that implements possession and management of firearms in the CNMI.

These laws aims to supplement and not contradict the U.S. Constitution.

“Children are right to be afraid. It is unfortunate that we have to talk to children about safe places like where to hide in the classroom and which areas to avoid,” Pangelinan said

“But this is the reality now…we did not have this man-made violence before. The duty to protect our students becomes even more significant these days,” she added.

The duty to protect the students is the reason why Tanapag Middle School PTSA president A. Kodep Ogumoro-Uludong appealed the U.S. District Court’s decision.

In a declaration he filed in court, he said he opposes the legalization of handguns in the CNMI because these weapons add new and dangerous threats to the student’s welfare.

“A handgun in the house or school creates new opportunities for murder, assault, and suicide as well as attempts and threats to commit them, not to mention accidental deaths from a gunshot,” he added.

Deleon Guerrero believes the responsibility to control guns in the CNMI rests with both the government and schools.

“Both should shoulder the responsibility… I am in favor of strict gun control laws because countries that have similar laws experience far less incidents of gun violence than countries without them…At the school level, student and employee safety should be the No. 1 priority,” he said

“As Maslow’s hierarchy of needs teaches us, safety is the foundation for all learning and performance. Students who feel unsafe cannot and will not learn, and employees that feel unsafe cannot and will not perform well,” he added.

Pangelinan said that both the CNMI government and private citizens should learn from these off-island events.

“Why can’t we use that information and data to guide us to implement applicable laws and abide by them? Local lawmakers should use as example the violence we see in the mainland and work hard to protect our community, our children,” Pangelinan said.

“Educating and nurturing our students and assuring them they are safe…is part of our lives now, with the hope that man-made violence would not ever make it to our school doors,” Pangelinan added.