It's never too early to teach children and students about serious social issues such as hate crimes, and the importance of taking correct and compassionate stands on the same.
This seems to be the guiding principle behind the action staged by the faculty and students of an elementary school in New York just recently as a means to address emotions and thoughts triggered among the students by the Orlando shoot-out the weekend before last.
After the horrific shoot out in Orlando that claimed the lives of almost 50 people, the administration of the Battery Park City School in lower Manhattan took the initiative to lead discussion among its students regarding the issues raised in relation to the massacre. Students, members of faculty and the administration have pledged to actively participate in discussions concerning, religion, sexuality, gun control, race and hate as they are held within the school. The school, also known as PS/IS 276, has 875 elementary and middle school students. The students are aged 5 to 14.
The most important topic of the discussions, however, is the necessity to work for peace and harmony at a time of social conflict. The whole series of activities is intended to help the school community deal with the confusion and fear generated by the killing.
Battery Park Principal Terri Ruyter said that adults should make themselves available to the questions of their children and students regarding the Orlando massacre as well as the issues connected to it. The student will be given opportunities to express their feelings and thoughts by making chalk drawings on the sidewalk, as well as shooting video messages connected to the theme of peace.
The school's activities are also being done in coordination with the school's Gay-Straight Alliance. The alliance is comprised of students who have formed a group for children to discuss sexuality and gender identity.
In related news, the John Hay Elementary School in downtown Seattle has also initiated actions to help students who want to discuss their feelings regarding the Orlando Massacre with a counselor. The school has been said to have a number of LGBT students who now feel threatened because of what happened in Orlando. While the school has not officially made the topic of sexuality open for discussions for the over 530 children of the school who are under 11 years old, many students have questions.
Principal Tami Beach said that children should be assured that everyone wants a community that's safe and secure, but at the same time their questions should be addressed.
