We Confront A Pattern Of School Violence And Call For Collective Responsibility

A near miss at Skyline High School puts Colorado’s long shadow back in the spotlight and forces us to ask tougher questions about what truly keeps students safe. We walk through what happened, why “this time” isn’t enough, and how a quarter-century of tragedies and scares—from Columbine to STEM—reveals patterns that policies alone haven’t fixed. Then we pivot to what often gets overlooked: the daily emotional world of kids, the toll of bullying on mental health, and the cultural conditions that let cruelty and despair take root.

We share a clear path forward built on connection, not just compliance. You’ll hear why a trusted adult for every student can be a game changer, how consistent anti-bullying enforcement and restorative practices rebuild trust, and where mental health resources—counselors, peer supports, telehealth, and simple reporting tools—create early, lifesaving intervention. We talk about safe storage, digital citizenship, advisory periods, and how schools can partner with families and local clinics to expand care without burning out staff.

This conversation is about community responsibility as much as it is about school safety. Parents, educators, coaches, neighbors, and lawmakers each hold a piece of the solution—teaching empathy, funding services, enforcing safe norms, and amplifying student voice. If you’re ready to move beyond headlines and drills toward practical, humane changes that make hallways feel safe again, you’re in the right place.

If this resonates, subscribe, share the show with someone who cares about kids’ wellbeing, and leave a review with one action your community can take this month. Your voice helps build the culture where every child feels seen, supported, and safe.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Skyline Incident Summary
• 0:45 Colorado’s History Of School Violence
• 2:15 From Policy To Culture Change
• 4:01 Bullying And Kids’ Mental Health
• 7:40 Building Compassionate School Communities
• 9:00 Practical Steps And Resources

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Welcome to Great Day Colorado Podcast. I'm DJ Mikey D, coming to you with the news that matters. We're starting with some sobering news out of Colorado. Another school, another scare, another reminder of how fragile our sense of safety can be. Here's what we know. A high school student in northern Colorado was taken into custody on october twenty third after allegedly bringing a handgun onto campus at Skyline High School. According to the Longmont Police Department, the investigation began around eleven thirty AM when the school resource officer was alerted to social media photos showing a student in possession of what appeared to be a handgun. The student was taken into custody without incident and transported to the juvenile assessment center in Boulder. Thankfully no one was hurt this time, but the this time part of that sentence, that's what gets me. Because when we talk about Colorado and school shootings, we're not talking about isolated incidents, we're talking about a pattern, a history, a painful legacy that stretches back decades. Since the Columbine High School attack on april twentieth, nineteen ninety nine, Colorado has experienced multiple school shootings and threats. We all remember Columbine. It became a national turning point, or at least it should have been. But here's the staggering reality since Columbine Colorado has seen somewhere between sixty to five to eighty school related shooting incidents, depending on how you define them. That's over twenty five years of near misses, threats, injuries, and fatalities. In two thousand seven, threats at a Colorado high school led to lockdowns, igniting community fears. In twenty nineteen, a shooting at a Colorado STEM school resulted in two students losing their lives. And those are just two examples in a long, painful list. The tragedy of Columbine didn't serve as the wake up call we needed. Yes, it pushed for reforms in school safety protocols and gun laws, but the fact remains school shootings have not ceased. For many students and parents today, these events have become terrifyingly routine. The lockdown drills, the safety plans, they're necessary, but they also reflect a society that still struggles with addressing the root causes of violence. And that's where the conversation needs to go beyond just the immediate news. What are we missing? What aren't we doing? Many experts point to mental health issues, familial instability, and easy access to firearms as key factors, and they're not wrong. But what's often missing is a sense of collective responsibility. It's not just about gun laws, though they are crucial, it's about fostering environments where students feel safe, heard, and supported. It's about creating schools where every student feels valued, seen, and connected. Our policies are only part of the solution. We need cultural change, a shift toward empathy, toward community engagement, toward looking out for each other in ways that go beyond security cameras and metal detectors. Because when a student feels isolated, angry, or hopeless enough to bring a weapon to school, that's not just a policy failure. That's a community failure. That's our failure. As we remember the scars of the past, Columbine and all the incidents that followed, we need to focus on building a future where these tragedies are no longer part of our reality. Change is possible, but it requires all of us, parents, educators, lawmakers, community members, to stand up and push for it. It requires us to have difficult conversations, to listen to young people, to address the underlying issues that lead to violence. The incident at Skyline High School ended without bloodshed, and for that we should be grateful. But we can't let gratitude become complacency. Every near miss should renew our commitment to creating safer schools and healthier communities. That's all the time we have for this segment. I'm DJ Mikey D, and I'll be back after the break with more news and analysis. Stay informed, stay engaged, and take care of each other out there. Peace and prayers. Welcome back to Great Day Colorado's Community Voice Podcast. For this segment, we're diving deep into a topic that's close to my heart and affects millions of children worldwide, kids' mental health and the devastating impact of school bullying. You know, when we talk about kids' well being, we often focus on the surface stuff, grades, sports, activities, but what's happening beneath that surface? Many children are carrying heavy burdens of anxiety, depression, and low self esteem that we never see. And one of the biggest contributors to this hidden struggle? Bullying. Whether it's physical intimidation in the hallway, cruel words in the classroom, or relentless attacks online through cyberbullying, the damage is real and it lasts. I've spoken with educators, psychologists, my own kiddos, and even adults who still carry scars from childhood bullying, the shame, the isolation, the feeling that you're somehow at fault. It shapes how these kids see themselves and their place in the world. And here's what really gets me. We still hear people dismiss this as kids being kids, but let me be clear, bullying is not a rite of passage. It's not character building, it's trauma. The research is undeniable. Children who experience bullying are at higher risk for depression, anxiety disorders, and even suicidal thoughts. Their academic performance suffers, their social development stalls. This isn't child's play. This is serious mental health territory. So why aren't we doing more? I believe it comes down to awareness and compassion. We need to stop minimizing what's happening in our schools and start taking proactive measures. Schools need comprehensive anti bullying policies that are actually enforced. But it's not just about punishment. It's about creating cultures of kindness where bullying can't thrive in the first place. We need mental health resources readily available in every school. Counselors, psychologists, peer support programs. Children need to know there are safe places and safe people they can turn to. And this isn't just a school issue, it's a community issue. Parents, teachers, coaches, neighbors, we all have a role to play in creating environments where children feel valued, heard, and protected. We need to be teaching empathy from the earliest ages, having open conversations about mental health, creating spaces where it's okay to not be okay, and where asking for help is seen as strength, not weakness. When we invest in mental health education and anti bullying initiatives, we're not just helping individual children, we're building stronger, more compassionate communities. We're creating the kind of world we all want to live in. I want to leave you with this thought every child deserves to feel safe in their own skin. Every child deserves to go to school without fear. Every child deserves the support they need to navigate the challenges of growing up. If you're a parent, have those conversations with your kids about what's happening at school. If you're an educator, advocate for the resources your students need. If you're a community member, support organizations that work on these issues. And if you or a child you know is struggling, please remember help is available. Reach out to school counselors, mental health professionals, or crisis lines. You don't have to face this alone. Thank you for joining me for this important conversation. I'm DJ Mikey D, and I'll be back next time with another topic that matters. Until then, take care of yourselves and each other. Peace out.