Texas parents have been notified that public school systems will begin to provide free DNA identification kits to help assist law enforcement in the case of a life-threatening emergency on campus. According to an article by My San Antonio, this program was recently rolled out by the Texas State Government, but the law requiring schools to provide access to this service was passed almost a year ago in response to the shooting at Santa Fe High School, which left eight students and two teachers dead. The program presents itself as the state government’s response to the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, which occurred just five months ago, and sends a very clear message to parents: Texas is more concerned with the identification of your children after they have perished than their active protection from harm. 

There are many social and economic factors, such as income level and easy access to firearms, that contribute to the swelling level of gun violence in the United States. Even more nuanced are the factors that contribute to the number of school shootings, such as the exponential growth of social media usage by minors, as well as increased levels of mental health problems. Many state officials, namely Senator Ted Cruz, have proposed numerous ideas to solve the problem at hand, including promoting the fortification of “soft targets” and a more prominent police presence in schools, but adamantly insist that regulatory legislation on firearms is not the answer to preventing school shootings in America, according to the Texas Tribune. While the right solution is still up for debate, one thing is not — action needs to be taken to protect the well-being of schoolchildren in Texas. Every day that state officials do not issue a preventative response of any kind is another day that our government has failed its constituents. 

As citizens, we must take action to persuade our leaders to provide an appropriate response to the horrible epidemic of school shootings in this state. Call or email your local representative’s office and urge them to call for a special legislative session to address the need for proactive protection demanded by their constituents, and vote in the midterm elections to initiate the change you would like to see. 

You can find the contact information for your local representative office’s at https://house.texas.gov/members/, and https://senate.texas.gov/members.php. 

You can check your voter registration status at www.vote.org. Early voting for the midterm election begins Oct. 24 and runs through Nov. 4. Election day is Nov. 8.