Dear Lansing School District Community,
I hope that this newsletter finds you well. As always, it is a pleasure to be writing to you all. It has been less than a week since the horrible events at Rotary Park. We as a community are still mourning, still sad, still angry, still frustrated, and still disconsolate. A range of emotions wash over us every day and every hour concerning this tragedy. I want to acknowledge these feelings as best as I can.
As the Superintendent, it is important to recognize that many people -- students, parents, staff, and community members --will look toward our office for some kind of assurance or guidance or to give voice to the community. Sometimes, in the focus on trying to help and support specific students and schools, we can miss the broader impact of events like the Monday morning shooting.
All week, I have walked the halls of schools, met with teachers, students, and principals, and talked to parents and community members. And what I heard over and over again is that even if they personally didn't know the students who were hurt, this event has burrowed into their core. Maybe one of the students shot had the same name or, was the same age or went to the same school. Maybe you have been a victim of gun violence, and this brought back painful memories. Or maybe you are just empathic and care deeply about our students. Regardless, please know that you are with us, and we are here for you. And if there is something specific we can do, please let us know.
No more can a district just offer thoughts and prayers. No more can a district release a one-sentence statement. We must do more. This is why I wrote the letter to the community: to not only acknowledge the tragedy but also to offer help. I mentioned a series of services we, as the district, can provide or connect you to. Please reach out to us if you need anything. We will get through this together.
But it was equally important to acknowledge that the students of Lansing are good, decent, hardworking kids and that our parents are loving, supportive, caring individuals. And that we must break down the culture of victim blaming. When the perception of an event paints all with the same brush, we just continue to hurt our community and not address the real issue. We don't know why the event occurred. We don't know if the people shooting were looking for someone. We don't know the story behind the event. Nor would we ever say as such. But what we do know, or have been told, is that young people were out late, having a good time (but quiet enough that no one complained to the police), and a group of people drove to that party and started shooting. That doesn't make the students and others who attended the event bad kids. It doesn't mean that their parents don't love them. And it certainly doesn't mean that anyone deserved to get hurt. It doesn't mean that if kids just went to school or if there were events for them to do, all of this would stop. The incident occurred at 2:50 am. Two of the people shot were graduates; one even graduated from high school early. We need to rethink how we conceptualize events like Monday.
What has been amazing and heartbreaking, is that since I wrote that letter to the community, how many people those comments have impacted. I heard from a student who was happy they were finally being defended and not always blamed. I heard from a parent who, years ago, was victim-shamed for a tragedy they had nothing to do with nor could prevent. I heard from a teacher of one of the victims, telling me about how great the student was and that they didn't deserve this. I even heard from a former employee of the district who not only attended the Lansing schools as a child but their children and their children's children have done so. I heard how proud they are of being part of the Lansing School District. The Lansing School District is special and getting better every day.
So, what now? What do we do? Honestly, I don't know the full answer or if there is one. But I do know that together, we can make this city safer. I know that we can work together to get illegal guns off the street. I know that if we know people in a disagreement, we can try to talk them into resolving it peacefully or bring in people for help. I know that if we see something on social media, we can try to reach out to someone to solve the problem. Rather than victim blame, let us, as a community, be proactive. And as always, I am all ears. If anyone reading this letter has ideas about what we as a school district can do to help protect the district and the community, please feel free to reach out.
Thank you to everyone reading this newsletter for your incredible support of our district. Together, we will do great things for the children of Lansing.
Benjamin Shuldiner, Superintendent
Lansing School District
