The Wauwatosa School District will implement a safety program in response to a letter from parents calling for gun safety
Like many parents on May 24, Kelly Goldmann, whose three children attend Wauwatosa Schools, watched in horror as the news unfolded about the violent tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers and wounded 17 others.
After seeing other parents experience her worst fear that day she knew she had to do something.
A month later, she and a grassroots group of concerned parents called on the Wauwatosa School Board to implement a program to encourage gun safety. The board approved the Be SMART program June 27.
“As we continue to try to lobby our legislatures to make better gun laws, this felt like a real sort of tangible thing that we could do as a community to make our city and our school district a safer place,” said Goldmann.
What is Be SMART?
Be SMART is a nationwide volunteer program predicated upon encouraging "parents and adults to normalize conversations about gun safety and take responsible actions that can prevent child gun deaths and injuries," according to the Be Smart site.
SMART stands for Secure your guns, Model responsible behavior, Ask about unsecured guns in other homes, Recognize the role guns play in suicide and Tell peers to be SMART.
The program is entering Wauwatosa schools at a time when at least 5.4 million children live in homes with one or more unlocked and loaded firearms.
In incidents of gunfire on school grounds, 78% of shooters younger than 18 obtained the gun from their home or the home of a relative or friend, according to Everytown Research.
Moreover, in 2020, gun suicide among children ages 17 and younger reached the highest rate in more than 20 years, and firearms became the leading cause of death among children in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Parents drafted a letter in favor of Be SMART
Goldmann said the Be SMART program has been an effective preemptive measure since 2019, but after the shootings in Uvalde there became a much higher interest within the Wauwatosa community. That interest culminated in a letter to the Wauwatosa School District.
“I sent around a Google form just hoping I could get one parent from each school to sign on, you know, showing that it was a districtwide interest,” said Goldmann. “We ended up getting a ton of interest, and there were like over 50 people from all 14 schools across the school district that cosigned the letter.”
After seeing the letter, Wauwatosa Superintendent, Demond Means brought up the idea to implement Be SMART at the June 13 school board meeting.
Earlier this year, the Wauwatosa School District implemented random searches and an increased police presence at Wauwatosa West High School after two students were caught with a box cutter and a handgun in the school.
What Be SMART will look like in schools?
The District will host a Be SMART presentation during the 2022-23 school year, after which Means and administrative staff members will develop and execute a communication campaign to emphasize the importance of school safety.
Sarah Frittitta, Wauwatosa School District communications director, said the district's communication campaign will use resources from Be SMART to increase awareness and provide education to members of the community regarding gun safety.
The school district will also continue to promote Speak Up, Speak Out, which was created by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Office of School Safety to empower, support and protect members of the Wisconsin educational community.
"The District plans to work with staff, families, students and other members of the community to gain input and feedback on additional methods to engage stakeholders and effectively increase awareness about this important topic," said Frittitta.
Beck Andrew Salgado can be reached at 512-568-4070 or Bsalgado@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Beck_Salgado
Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.
DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wauwatosa School District will implement gun safety program
