Rethinking 'safety' in the wake of Uvalde

People are searching for ways to feel safe again, but how do we get there?

View this email online June 5, 2022 This week, we looked at school safety, the latest news in Uvalde, and the largest discharge of student loans in history. Plus, a callout for folks who have used a Pell Grant. Allison Dinner/AFP via Getty Images Happy Sunday, This week, we're going to dig deeper into a topic we talked about in last week's newsletter, and that's the idea of how exactly we make schools safer.  In the wake of violence and tragedies, people are often left searching for ways to feel safe again. That almost inevitably leads to conversations about the role of the police. On the Code Switch podcast, Gene Demby spoke to author and sociologist Alex Vitale, who argues that many spaces in U.S. society over-rely on the police to prevent problems that could be addressed through other means. Doing so, he says, can prevent us from adequately investing in resources and programs that could make the country safer in the long run. "One of the things we know about violence is that when we introduce more guns into an environment, they are not used to 'get the bad guys,' they end up generating accidental shootings, suicide increases, and interpersonal shootings," Vitale says. Also, when more police officers are brought into school, it has a disproportionately negative effect on students of color, students with disabilities, and queer students. "We now have decades of research that has failed to find any public safety benefit to school policing. Instead, what we find is that policing criminalizes youthful behavior."  Gene's 30-minute conversation with Alex Vitale doesn't stop there. Click the button below to listen to this week's episode.   Listen Now, let’s get into some news…  The story about how the Uvalde gunman entered the school is shifting. Texas officials had said a teacher propped a door open at Robb Elementary in Uvalde just before the gunman entered and carried out a mass shooting — but they now acknowledge that the woman closed the door after the teacher's attorney spoke out. It's the latest shift in a narrative that has continued to change since last Tuesday — an extraordinary process that has seen officials repeatedly correcting earlier statements after they're contradicted by new information. Read more here. — Bill Chappell, Reporter & Producer; Laura Benshoff, National Desk Reporter  Newsletter continues after sponsor message The U.S. will forgive $5.8 billion of loans to Corinthian College students. According to the department, it is the single largest discharge of student loans in history. Corinthian College is a chain of for-profit schools that deceived students about their job placement rates and students' ability to transfer credits. The move, which was announced Wednesday, will impact 560,000 borrowers, the Education Department said. Students affected do not have to take any further action to receive a discharge, and the government says it will begin notifying borrowers soon. Read more here. — Cory Turner, Correspondent, NPR Ed Investigators say the Uvalde school district police chief isn't talking to them. The Texas Department of Public Safety says it's having trouble setting up a follow-up conversation with Pete Arredondo, the chief of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District police department, about the deadly shooting at Robb Elementary School. Arredondo has disputed this characterization, telling a reporter that he has been in regular contact with DPS. Arredondo and his department have been under scrutiny since last Tuesday's shooting, and the questions intensified on Friday, when DPS Director Steven McCraw told journalists that the incident commander — later confirmed to be Arredondo — made a critical error: treating the active shooter situation as one where a subject has barricaded themselves away from police. Read more here. — Bill Chappell, Reporter & Producer And before you go, a call out… Have you received a Pell Grant to go to school? The Pell Grant is a need-based government aid program for higher education, and it's turning 50 this summer. Since the program was created, tens of millions of students have received Pell Grants as part of a federal education law passed on June 23, 1972. Code Switch and the NPR Ed team are gathering stories of Pell Grant recipients to highlight this half-century of higher education, and we want to hear from you. If you've ever received a Pell Grant or BEOG and want to share your story, fill out this form.   See you next week. Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WBEZ (edit station). What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: npred@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Music, Politics, Code Switch and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Education emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy