Long Island School Faces School Shooter Threats - By Ariadne Morales

On October 24, 2022, shooting threats were aimed toward Valley Stream Public Schools, in Long Island, New York causing a lockdown. An anonymous Snapchat user posted a paragraph threatening to shoot students at Valley Stream North and South High Schools on various days. The Snapchat user claimed to be an alumnus of one of the schools with a valid student ID. They threatened to hurt students any time from Tuesday 8 a.m. to Friday 3 p.m. It was also claimed in the post that they had assault rifles, pistols, and other explosives.

As a Valley Stream Central High School alumnus, I was extremely worried for my sister, Dana Morales, who is currently a junior at Valley Stream South High School. Valley Stream South High School was voted one of the most diverse schools in New York. U.S. ssNews reports that the school has a minority enrollment of 84.7%, Valley Stream South also has 84% of students scoring at or above the proficient level for math and reading. These impressive scores make the 7-12 grade school rank #95 in New York middle school rankings as well. 

Valley Stream, an incorporated village within the town of Hempstead, is located in Nassau County, Long Island, New York. The village is 16 miles away from New York City and resides on the border of Queens. In an article written by Newsday, it is mentioned that “Mayor Ed Fare touted the village’s diversity among its residents — many of whom, he said, participate in local government — as well as its parkland, affordability, and recreation.”

The most recent American Community Survey (ACS) shows that Valley Stream is 35.86% White, 27.99% Black or African American, 15.73% Asian, 15.16% other races, and 5.27% of two or more races. In 2017, Valley Stream was named the best place to live in New York State by Money magazine. According to an article written on Valley Stream, “The Nassau County village was selected based on its economy, education, affordability, safety, convenience, and overall quality of life.”

An email was sent by Valley Stream South High School’s Principal, Maureen Henry, which expressed that immediate precautions would be taking place to ensure the safety of the students on October 25, 2022. There were long lines that students had to wait to enter school which resulted in students missing their first two periods of class. The lines were due to security having to do bag checks and body scans to ensure that no weapons were entering the school. Students were not allowed to leave during lunch or free periods and after-school activities were canceled. Additionally, no one was allowed to enter the school unless there was a valid reason.

“They had to scan our bodies each time we entered the school, and we were only allowed to bring our laptops inside. I was used to bringing a backpack with all my belongings just like every other student, which then became me only being allowed to bring a pen, laptop, and a folder, inside the school,” said Dana Morales.

The line and bag checks ended on November 1st, in which the students dealt with the long lines for school for a week. “It was very frustrating waiting an hour to get into school every day with the fear in the back of your mind that anything can happen while you're in class,” said Dana Morales.

Interestingly enough, many people have the misconception that males of color are more likely to be linked to weapon carrying compared to non-Hispanic white males. However, according to a study centered on Weapon Carrying Among Boys in US Schools by Race and/or Ethnicity from 1993–2019, it has been proven through collected data that “NH white boys have been more likely to bring weapons into schools than NH Black/African American or Hispanic boys in the past 20 years.” This is definitely an eye-opener for the racial prejudice projected on people of color even though they are the ones that are least likely to carry weapons to schools.

Additionally, it appears that non-Hispanic White boys have carried weapons to schools that are deemed “safer” when non-Hispanic Black/African American or Hispanic boys have brought weapons to schools that are “unsafe” for protection. According to the same article, “We found that in schools where students experienced unsafety and violence, weapon carrying was more common, and NH Black/AA and Hispanic boys were more likely to bring weapons into schools where they were threatened and/or injured.. This hypothesis seems plausible given persistent racism, the policing of persons of color, and evidence that white individuals are often allowed to openly carry guns, whereas individuals of color merely suspected of carrying any weapon have to fear for their lives.”

It is very unfortunate to see a common trend in which more schools in Long Island have been threatened through social media with violence, bomb threats, and school shootings. Threats like these can cause an uproar in the communities, making people feel very anxious. This leads them to underperform in their respective schools by not attending class or not being able to focus on their work, due to the distraction. A distraction such as this, may lead students and faculty to avoid attending their classes and lose sight of their goals in and out of the classroom.

Hopefully, by taking advantage of such a tightly knit community, the residents of Valley Stream can come together and discuss amongst themselves with the help of their public safety officials to improve the safety of their loved ones. According to Weapon Carrying Among Boys in US Schools by Race and/or Ethnicity from 1993–2019, “NH white boys, especially aged 17 years and older, and not NH Black/ AA or Hispanic boys, have posed the greater threat with regard to bringing weapons into schools that were perceived as safer.” This goes to show that even the schools that are perceived as “safer” are not excluded from being exposed to gun violence in schools.

Therefore, I believe we need to teach children from a young age, to be more open with their emotions. Early signs of childhood trauma can be detected amongst students if given the time to speak to them at least twice a week. A solution can be offering mandatory school counseling to all students, not just those that appear that they are struggling. There is no overnight solution, however, little things such as hearing what a young child/adolescent is going through, can change their lives more than we know it.

Ariadne Morales is from Long Island, New York. She is a junior at Hofstra University, majoring in Journalism/Rhetorical Studies. Her dream is to one day become a sports reporter. She is a weather reporter for Hofstra Today and an anchor on Sports Beat. She is also a member of the HOLA Club and Women’s Club Soccer. She is a student fellow at the Center for “Race,” Culture and Social Justice.