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As details continue to unfold in Tuesday鈥檚 Uvalde, Texas carnage that took the lives of 19 fourth graders and two teachers after a lone 18-year-old gunman shot up their school classroom, many questions are emerging.

In Washington state, like other parts of the country, news coverage of the mass murder has parents and students, in particular, anxious and asking about students鈥� safety here, The Dori Monson Show told listeners Wednesday.

鈥淭here are monsters who walk in our midst,鈥� Dori said. And yet, he continued, 鈥渟tatistically, schools continue to be one of the safest places for youth to be.鈥�

Then what should local parents and students know about school safety in the wake of the mass shooting in Uvalde? Dori asked.

For starters, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal told Dori鈥檚 listeners on Wednesday,聽it is a 鈥渕oment to mourn. We all need to grapple with this.

鈥淭wo: we have some of the best safety protocols in the country,鈥� the schools’ chief continued. 鈥淲e are a state that, like many others, has regular drills and training,鈥� including annual safety reviews performed by each district.

Reykdal also said that Washington state makes proactive 鈥渢hreat assessments鈥� a regular practice if a student is identified as a potential threat to others. This involves regional experts who draw in school personnel, mental health counselors and, if necessary, law enforcement, he added.

These threat assessments involve 鈥渁 deep level of evidence that warrants a call to a regional coordinator,鈥� the superintendent told Dori. This might include 鈥渙nline imagery or an online threat or maybe something a counselor has identified,鈥� he added.

鈥淭here is an expert in every region that can pull a team together to meet with students and families,鈥� Reykdal explained. 鈥淲e鈥檙e usually intervening well before there is any actual violence.鈥�

And while school shootings grab the headlines, Reykdal continued, they are 鈥渟till exceedingly rare鈥� 鈥� especially when compared to the number of youth 鈥渟uicides by guns in their own home.鈥�

A 2021聽聽of childhood suicide data between 2013 and 2017 found that guns were the second most prevalent suicide method used by kids 5 to 11 years old, according to The Trace, a non-profit journalism group focusing on gun violence. In almost every case, the study cites, children got the gun from their home.

鈥淪ecuring our firearms,鈥� Reykdal said, 鈥渃ould save far, far more lives.鈥�

Learn more about Washington state鈥檚

Listen to Dori Monson weekday afternoons from noon 鈥� 3 p.m. on 成人X站 Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the聽podcast here.