Blake Experienced a School Shooting Threat. Does it Connect to the Increase of Shootings in Recent Years?

On October 1st, an image was shared across Instagram. This image was a threat to a Blake High School student written across a black science deskΒ  A photo was taken of the desk and was promptly spread across Instagram. As the news got out, many students agreed to not come to school in fear of the threat turning into a true event. We spoke to Ms. Snead about the situation Friday.

β€œIt’s alarming to receive that type of communication,” she told TBB. β€œMy emails were flooded after that happened.” Since the incident, Ms. Snead has been dealing with this issue, still reaching out to parents and students. To prove Blake was safe for the day, Ms. Snead, along with local police, went through a rigorous investigation and contacted students and parents alike. Even though students were safe,  Ms. Snead stated she was disappointed in some students’ response to the situation.β€œPeople had seen that message all day long and they waited until they got home to say something about it,” she said 

The news took many Blake High School students by surprise, but others said it was expected. Favour Njowe, a sophomore, noted β€œI was a little scared [because] I wouldn’t put it past the people at school to do that type of stuff.” School violence is rising across Montgomery County as well as the United States as a whole. According to statista.com, school shootings have risen from 23 in 1999 to 349 in 2023, the year with the highest number of school shootings ever recorded.

It is clear that there has been a shift in the United States when it comes to student violence and gun control and there is a clear connection to this violence and what occurred on the 1st of October. The main connection found when it comes to student violence is the overall decline of students’ mental health. According to the CDC, β€œFor children with anxiety, more than 1 in 3 also had behavior problems (37.9%) and about 1 in 3 also had depression (32.3%).” These statistics paint some reasoning behind the increase in behavioral problems and the issues that affect Blake’s students, however, there still needs to be a change.Β 

Blake’s school counselors are here to help if you have any questions or just want to speak about your own mental health. Reaching out is the first step and action needed to make Blake High School a better and safer place.