When Schools Become Battlegrounds: The Tragedy of Failing Our Children

By Kenneth Braswell, Fathers Incorporated

There is a profound and indescribable pain that accompanies the mere thought of sending your child to school, a place that is supposed to embody safety, learning, and opportunity, only to receive a phone call that shatters every fiber of your being. The sheer seconds between hearing news of an active shooter at your child’s school and finding out whether your child is safe or has been taken from you forever must feel like a lifetime. And yet, for far too many parents in this country, that nightmare has been (or is becoming) a reality.

The news of another school shooting — a school of faith, no less, in Madison, Wisconsin — pierces the soul. It is devastating beyond words. For those of us who are Christian, the idea that schools tied to faith, hope, and moral and spiritual grounding could be the target of such heinous violence deepens the ache. 

But let me be clear: It does not matter where these shootings happen. Whether it’s a public school, a private institution, or a sanctuary rooted in religious tradition, the moral fabric of our society is unraveling, and our children are paying the price. There is something fundamentally wrong when the most innocent among us — our children — are the targets of such unspeakable acts of violence. 

It forces us to confront a harrowing truth: The values that should protect and nurture life are being swallowed whole by a society steeped in despair, hatred, and indifference. What kind of world are we creating when so many individuals, unable to cope with the burdens they bear, turn their pain outward in such destructive ways? 

What kind of society allows this cycle to continue without reckoning with its roots?

This latest shooting, during a season meant to symbolize love, peace, and hope, leaves us asking painful questions about the world we’re handing over to our children. Love feels distant, peace feels fragile, and hope feels like a flickering candle in a storm. How do we reconcile how, in a time meant for reflection, connection, and gratitude, parents are burying their children, and communities are being torn apart?

Even more devastating is the reality that the shooter, in some of these cases, is also a child. My God, what kind of life must that child be attempting to escape from? What pain must they be carrying that the only solution they see is to take the lives of others? How did we miss the signs? How did we fail to intervene? The tragedy of school shootings isn’t only in the lives lost but in the lives shattered — of the victims, of the perpetrators, and of the families who are left to pick up the broken pieces.

Fathers Incorporated’s mission is clear: strong families build strong children, and strong children build strong communities. We cannot afford to ignore the role of fathers and father figures in this equation. Too often, the societal narrative focuses on mothers as the backbone of family life, and while that truth is undeniable, it is incomplete. Fathers are not accessories to the upbringing of children; they are essential. They provide stability, guidance, and love in ways that are unique and irreplaceable. If we are to address the epidemic of violence in our schools, we must strengthen our families — and that means supporting fathers as part of the solution.

“All parents are critically important to the health and well-being of our children,” I often say. “But if we want to truly strengthen families, fathers must be included — not as afterthoughts, but as cornerstones. If we fail to do that, we fail our children.”

But this issue is bigger than families. It’s about a society that has allowed violence to become commonplace. It’s about systems that fail to protect our most vulnerable. It’s about a culture that glorifies power and weaponry while devaluing compassion and empathy. How did we get here? How did we become a nation where children must practice active shooter drills instead of dreaming about their futures?

We must confront these questions with brutal honesty and a willingness to act. This isn’t just a policy problem. It’s a moral crisis. Gun control, mental health resources, and school security are all critical pieces of the puzzle, but they are not the whole picture. The whole picture must include the acknowledgment that, as a society, we have stopped prioritizing the well-being of its children. Ours is a culture that has normalized isolation, disconnection, and alienation. It’s a collective failure to see our children not just as individuals but as reflections of our values as a community.

What breaks my heart the most is imagining the parents who received that call in Madison, Wisconsin. How many of them whispered prayers under their breath, begging for their child’s safety? How many had to identify the lifeless body of the person they loved most in the world? No parent should ever have to endure that kind of pain. And yet, we seem to accept it as an inevitability, as if school shootings are just another part of modern life. That acceptance is a betrayal of everything we should stand for as a society.

The time for thoughts and prayers without action has long passed. We owe our children more than empty words. We owe them safety, stability, and a future where they can walk into their classrooms without fear. We owe them schools that are sanctuaries of learning, not battlegrounds of violence. We owe them the chance to grow up.

And to those who ask what difference one organization, family, or person can make, I say this: Start where you are. Fathers Incorporated is committed to doing its part by empowering families and fathers to be the leaders their children need. But we cannot do it alone. This is a call to every parent, every educator, every policymaker, and every citizen. This is a call to step up.

If we are to honor the lives lost in these senseless acts of violence, we must commit to changing the conditions that allow them to happen. Let us refuse to become numb to the headlines. Let us pour every ounce of energy into ensuring that no parent has to receive that call, that no child has to live in fear, and that no community has to bury its future.

As we mourn the lives lost in Madison and beyond, let us also find the courage to fight for the lives still here. Our children deserve nothing less.

Kenneth Braswell, CEO of Fathers Incorporated, leads efforts to promote responsible fatherhood and strengthen families nationwide. With extensive experience in community development and father engagement, he drives impactful initiatives and policies. Learn more at www.fathersincorporated.com.