The hearts of the nation are in shock following the Texas elementary school massacre that took place on Tuesday, May 24 at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where an 18-year-old youth killed 19 children and two teachers, in addition to wounding several others. In response to the incident, schools in the Bay Area have decided to reinforce security and increase the number of police officers surrounding school zones.
After the terrible event, parents across the country woke up wondering if it was safe to send their children to school.
San Mateo County Schools Superintendent Nancy Magee expressed her deep regret for what happened in Uvalde, Texas, where she said in a letter that there is nothing "more horrible, more senseless and more heartbreaking than this news."
She said that as the investigation progresses and more is known about why the tragic event happened, “we will do everything we can to support our students, staff, schools and families. We will share more about how San Mateo County Schools works every day to support our students and keep our schools safe.”
Finally, he sent his condolences to the families of the victims and the Robb Elementary School community.
"I urge everyone to find comfort in others, to share our grief and pain, to hug our loved ones, to go for a walk, to stay strong for our children and young people," he stressed.
For its part, the San Francisco Unified School District reported that it is taking security plans and precautions "very seriously" and that it will have a comprehensive crisis plan in place for any emergency.
He also highlighted that the schools that are part of the School District have security measures such as: visitor registration, procedures for closing doors after the start of the school day and surveillance cameras.
The District noted that it has been informed by the San Francisco Police Department that there will be an increased police presence around schools beginning Wednesday, May 25, through June 1.
Contra Costa County's sheriff tweeted that while there are no known threats in his jurisdiction, he has ordered additional patrols around all of his schools and Mountain View.
For its part, Oakland Unified School District encourages parents and students to contact its Mental Health Services.
It all comes about a week before many students finish the school year ahead of summer break.
California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted that the shooting, which left at least 19 children and two adults dead, was preventable.
“Another shooting. And the Republican Party won’t do anything about it. Who the hell are we if we can’t keep our children safe? This is preventable. Our inaction is a choice. We need common-sense, comprehensive national gun security NOW,” he said.
He added that gun safety laws work, with California cutting the rate of gun deaths in half since the 1980s.
"We're not going to solve this overnight, but let's stop pretending that these mass shootings are an inevitable horror that we have to experience on a regular basis," he added.
For his part, President Joseph Biden lamented the tragedy and offered his condolences to the families, friends and community who lost and experienced what happened yesterday at Robb Elementary School.
"Parents will never see their child again. They will never be able to take them to bed and cuddle with them again. Parents will never be the same. Losing a child is like having a piece of your soul ripped out. There is a void in your chest. You feel like you are being absorbed into them," she said in a message to media on Tuesday night.
"As a nation, we have to ask, when in God's name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? We all know in our guts that we have to do it," the president asked, recalling the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14, 2012, where six adults and 20 children were killed by gunfire fired by Adam Lanza, who had previously killed his mother in their home.
Since then, he said, there have been more than 900 incidents of gun shots being fired on school grounds.
Just 10 days earlier, in a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, seniors — mostly African Americans — were killed by an 18-year-old self-proclaimed white supremacist.
“I am sick and tired of it. We have to act. And don’t tell me we can’t have an impact on these massacres. I spent my career as a senator and vice president working to pass common sense gun laws. We can and will prevent every tragedy, we know these laws work and have a positive impact,” he stressed.
He stressed that the fact that a young person can walk into a store and buy assault weapons "is wrong."
"For God's sake, we must have the courage to stand up to the arms industry."
In a message lasting approximately 7 minutes, he explained that there are massacres all over the world, for different reasons, but never with the frequency that there are in the US.
"We need to make it clear to every elected official in this country. It's time to act. It's time for those in power to delay or block common-sense gun laws. We need to let them know that we will not forget, we can do much more, we have to do more," he stressed.
With information from CBS News Bay Area
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