By Herbie Gomez
THE Jan. 30 accidental shooting at the Oro Christian Grace School (OCGS) has implications far greater than its resolution. It is quite obvious that efforts are being made by the school to contain the negative impression that may arise from it, but their apparent disregard for the concerns any parent will have is puzzling.
As any parent will tell you, the decision for choosing a school for their children hinges first on their financial capacity. But regardless of this, the expectation of their child being educated to the best of their capability comes with the tacit understanding that their child’s well-being is important. Although often taken for granted, parents assume that their child’s safety is a prime concern and that any event or situation that threatens this will be addressed by the school in the parents’ absence.
The accidental shooting could be interpreted as a tragedy of errors. That the student was able to sneak the deadly weapon into the campus may have been an oversight on the part of the guards. By the same token, students have been known to bring in contraband—whether it be cigarettes, alcohol, deadly weapons, etc.. It’s been done before and it will be done again.
I doubt that the student brought the gun into school with the intent of harming. Based on initial accounts, he had an unacceptable reason for doing so. Initial reports surfaced referring to some role-play activity which was denounced by the school as false or “fake news” even though it was a statement documented by the police based on their own interviews. However, in bringing a real gun to school, some questions must be raised. But consider these: first, the boy lacks discernment and, second, the firearm was not locked away in a safe place at home.
When the gun went off, it must be deduced that there was no teacher or school authority present. Worse, there was none even after. That the shooting victim, based on a narrative given in front of councilors last week, went to the school nurse accompanied by a classmate is difficult to accept. That the school nurse gave only a cursory first aid treatment for that kind of wound is incomprehensible. A close-up photo I’ve seen confirms what the girl’s father said — that is, the bullet went “through and through.” (It really makes me wonder if she or he is really a registered nurse.)
Worst of all, that it was the victim herself and not a school officer who called her mother to get her is an egregious lapse of judgment on the part of the school.
For whatever reasons, the Oro Christian Grace School, even from the start, seems to be exerting a lot of effort to distance itself from the circumstance. Talk has it that students were “admonished” not to release any information, especially if damaging to the school. That is understandable. But for the school itself to maintain some form of silence is borderline unforgivable.
The victim’s parents wanted to hear the school acknowledge its lapses and apologize from the heart. Repeat: from the heart. An apology didn’t come until councilors applied some pressure on OCGS director Robert Chee and principal Jeanette Li during a public hearing at the city council last week. The apology, which sounded half-baked, didn’t seem to make matters any better. To the best of our understanding, even at that point, the school hedged with regard to accountability. The lapse in security checks was indeed a factor, but at the end of the day, one would expect some form of command responsibility.
No matter what procedures or steps are put in place, there will always be room for human error. But as a school, the higher expectation of its authorities to lead by example falls depressingly short. Where is the sense of community that one would expect from such an institution that holds itself in such high regard? One would expect that the well-being of all the members of this community would be important. But no one was there to support the victim, the perpetrator, and their families.
They are both very young people, just 13 years old if I’m not mistaken. Both are lacking in wisdom and perception; both are frightened regardless of who was at fault. The police were called and that was the extent of OCGS’s accountability. That not a single one of the school officials even bothered to take the child to the hospital to seek medical care is frightening. Does this mean that if my child, through some dismaying circumstance, ever needed medical attention, the school would be impartial and leave it to the parent to address the situation? What if there was an issue of time? What if that victim had suffered more serious injuries?
I don’t want to imagine what OCGS would have done. As a school, the expectations are high and many. And parents have a right to trust that the school would be responsible enough to meet those expectations. Their controlled silence and their lack of accountability and responsibility beg one to question their reliability to mold and shape the young people entrusted in their care. If academic learning is the only goal of this institution, then children would be better served to be home-schooled.
Sadly, the handling of the situation from Day One, including the damage control that caused more damage, is more tragic than the accidental shooting itself, and it raises this question: What have they been teaching the kids all along? This is a test of character and, by all indications, the school is flunking on all levels. Pastilan.
