Schools, Children and Public Tragedy

Each of us can immediately call to mind an example of how schools, children, and public tragedy intersect. The images-of school children fleeing downtown Manhattan after planes hit the World Trade Center, of hands-linked preschoolers led by police after a shooting rampage at their California daycare, of the Columbine High School massacre and its after-math-are all too clear. Without a doubt, there are multiple examples of public tragedy in our country that have profoundly traumatized our children.