It’s hard to know how to respond when Jewish kids from back east in the U.S. stick up for Jewish kids’ rights in the west U.S. to endure risks worthy of an unfunny Sholem Aleichem story (more like Singer) — to say nothing of risks to girls, gender expansive kids, POC.
What turned out to be the biggest problem at Columbine? Not insufficient free speech.
From my perspective, there are two persuasive points about the incident at Desert Vista High School:
One is that schools appropriately punish all sorts of speech and behavior. All things equal, punishment should specifically and generally deter a future harm. It’s a judgment call, and our facts are incomplete. I suspect, in this instance, after investigation, at least one expulsion would be warranted by the facts.
Two, violence is a public health issue associated with risk factors (e.g. bullying) and protective factors (e.g. accountability). By intervening early to reduce risk factors and enhance protective factors, schools can prevent future violence. By investigating incidents, schools acquire useful information for keeping kids safe.
Speaking as someone who attended public high school in the west, it’s my firm belief and hope that Desert Vista High School will take this incident seriously, as an opportunity to prevent future harm.
