Anonymous
09/30/2025 22:00
Subject: TW: Assessing gun violence risk in public vs private schools
Of all the possible reasons to choose private school, this is the most foolish. Ask any Burke parent.
Anonymous
09/30/2025 21:58
Subject: TW: Assessing gun violence risk in public vs private schools
If you are that afraid of your kids being killed in a public school you might as well make sure they never get into a car ever again either.
Anonymous
09/30/2025 18:48
Subject: TW: Assessing gun violence risk in public vs private schools
Anonymous wrote:Reposting this in the right forum (mcps)
Hi, parents. Trigger Warning here.
I really want to send my children to public school. I can get over the large (and burgeoning) class sizes in Montgomery County, the high student teacher ratios (in our school line-up, at least), the very high school classes. I want them to be exposed to a true diversity of opinions, economic strata, races, and religions. To have lots of children to choose from / build friendships with at each phase of their school experiences. I also really want to build community with our neighbors, and public school helps with that.
What I'm having the hardest time with: Guns and the trauma of gun-related lockdowns/secure status. Statistically, sending a child to public school raises the chance they'll be killed - or at least have experienced - an on-campus school shooting by 18-20x vs. sending them to a private school. My source? Washington Post and CATO Institute survey data from around 2022/2023 (can't remember the exact date).
How do other parents who can afford to send their kids to privates rationalize sending your kids to public in light of this?
What decision did you make ultimately?
To front-run the potential respondents who say "The risk of gun violence is everywhere, so you're never fully protected," let me respond: Yes, of course. There is a risk of shootings and lockdowns at all school types (with the recent Annunciata shooting in Minnesota, as a recent private example). But, let's please move beyond this and acknowledge the statistical reality that the national and even local (just read Bethesda Today in the last 12 months) context show this is much more common in public schools.
Thank you in advance for your constructive feedback.
Just stop.
Anonymous
09/30/2025 18:40
Subject: TW: Assessing gun violence risk in public vs private schools
Reposting this in the right forum (mcps)
Hi, parents. Trigger Warning here.
I really want to send my children to public school. I can get over the large (and burgeoning) class sizes in Montgomery County, the high student teacher ratios (in our school line-up, at least), the very high school classes. I want them to be exposed to a true diversity of opinions, economic strata, races, and religions. To have lots of children to choose from / build friendships with at each phase of their school experiences. I also really want to build community with our neighbors, and public school helps with that.
What I'm having the hardest time with: Guns and the trauma of gun-related lockdowns/secure status. Statistically, sending a child to public school raises the chance they'll be killed - or at least have experienced - an on-campus school shooting by 18-20x vs. sending them to a private school. My source? Washington Post and CATO Institute survey data from around 2022/2023 (can't remember the exact date).
How do other parents who can afford to send their kids to privates rationalize sending your kids to public in light of this?
What decision did you make ultimately?
To front-run the potential respondents who say "The risk of gun violence is everywhere, so you're never fully protected," let me respond: Yes, of course. There is a risk of shootings and lockdowns at all school types (with the recent Annunciata shooting in Minnesota, as a recent private example). But, let's please move beyond this and acknowledge the statistical reality that the national and even local (just read Bethesda Today in the last 12 months) context show this is much more common in public schools.
Thank you in advance for your constructive feedback.
Hi, parents. Trigger Warning here.
I really want to send my children to public school. I can get over the large (and burgeoning) class sizes in Montgomery County, the high student teacher ratios (in our school line-up, at least), the very high school classes. I want them to be exposed to a true diversity of opinions, economic strata, races, and religions. To have lots of children to choose from / build friendships with at each phase of their school experiences. I also really want to build community with our neighbors, and public school helps with that.
What I'm having the hardest time with: Guns and the trauma of gun-related lockdowns/secure status. Statistically, sending a child to public school raises the chance they'll be killed - or at least have experienced - an on-campus school shooting by 18-20x vs. sending them to a private school. My source? Washington Post and CATO Institute survey data from around 2022/2023 (can't remember the exact date).
How do other parents who can afford to send their kids to privates rationalize sending your kids to public in light of this?
What decision did you make ultimately?
To front-run the potential respondents who say "The risk of gun violence is everywhere, so you're never fully protected," let me respond: Yes, of course. There is a risk of shootings and lockdowns at all school types (with the recent Annunciata shooting in Minnesota, as a recent private example). But, let's please move beyond this and acknowledge the statistical reality that the national and even local (just read Bethesda Today in the last 12 months) context show this is much more common in public schools.
Thank you in advance for your constructive feedback.