Jim Acosta’s AI-generated interview with a victim of the 2018 Parkland school shooting, Joaquin Oliver, has stirred the internet. Created from a video made by Oliver’s parents for what would have been his 25th birthday, it’s a reminder of the enduring pain felt by the community, survivors, and victims’ families of atrocities like Parkland.
The ethics behind Acosta’s “interview” may be questionable, but as a father of four preparing for back-to-school, it also raises the question: Are schools ready to protect students if — God forbid — a mass shooter attacks?
If a safety plan can’t withstand basic questions, it likely can’t withstand a real threat.
Every parent knows the mix of excitement and unease that accompanies handing a child over to someone else’s care for the better part of the day. That’s no small act. When we entrust schools with our children, we’re not just dropping them off to learn; we’re trusting that they’ll be protected. As parents, we would die to protect our kids, but do we — and can we — expect the same from their schools?
It’s not enough for schools to say safety is a top priority. Parents must demand to see plans, and schools must actively prepare.
Safety isn’t a job title. It’s a culture. And when it comes to protecting children, it has to be owned by everyone: parents, teachers, school staff, and law enforcement. Every adult in the room. The answer to the question, “Whose job is it to protect these kids?” should be unanimous: Mine.
A true safety culture isn’t vague policies or half-hearted drills, but a shared, lived-out commitment to readiness. Schools often say they have “protocols in place,” but when asked for details, the answer is fuzzy or hidden “for security reasons.” Sometimes that’s necessary, but that reply can mask a lack of preparation.
If a safety plan can’t withstand basic questions, it likely can’t withstand a real threat.
We don’t need policies on paper; we need practiced procedures and real barriers. Teachers can’t hope someone else will act. They must know what they will do if the worst happens. That’s why I founded Able Shepherd, to help everyday people train for real-world crises and build the skills needed to respond under pressure.
Our security assessments and team training courses prepare schools for likely emergencies, emphasizing stress inoculation, team movement, and emergency response, building muscle memory before danger strikes.
Training only matters if it can be replicated in real life. People freeze or make fatal mistakes when not trained well. They were briefed, but not in a way that built muscle memory. When tragedy strikes, it’s not the briefed but the trained who save lives.
Schools aren’t alone. Law enforcement has a duty, too. Officers are asked to do a hundred different things, but active threat response is not just another task. It requires a higher level of excellence.
Officers must be fully trained to act decisively, eliminate threats, and safeguard innocent lives, especially children. If they can’t meet that standard, they shouldn’t be the ones stepping through the schoolhouse door during a crisis.
What’s needed is a clear, realistic plan covering every phase of response, from defense to evacuation to medical aid and beyond.
But most of all, what’s needed is a mindset shift.
A protector isn’t just someone with a weapon; it’s someone with clarity, strength, and purpose.
Parents, we can’t just hope someone else is preparing. We must ask hard questions of our school administrators. Visit your children’s schools. Can someone break in within 10 seconds? If so, what’s being done?
Teachers and staff, this isn’t just about reading from a binder. It’s about standing in the gap. If someone came for your students, would you know what to do? Would you do it?
Police officers, we need you to be trained and ready. If you’re willing to go in — trained, capable, and courageous — God bless you. You deserve more than praise. But if you’re hiding behind a badge or a reputation you haven’t earned and will wilt when the moment of truth arrives, step aside. Too much is at stake.
When violence erupts, all other priorities vanish. Physical protection becomes paramount. Readiness means being equipped to act to defend those in our care. When lives are on the line, readiness isn’t optional; it’s our responsibility.
Still, safety isn’t just physical. It’s mental, emotional, and spiritual. A protector isn’t just someone with a weapon; it’s someone with clarity, strength, and purpose. We cannot afford to be passive or distracted when it comes to protecting what matters most — our kids.
So let’s make this school year different. Not just with new pencils and planners, but with real preparation. Let’s stop outsourcing responsibility and start owning it. Because when we send our kids off each morning, we should be able to do so with confidence, not because nothing bad will ever happen, but because the adults around them are ready if it does.
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