The hearts of the nation are in shock after the Texas elementary school massacre that took place this Tuesday, May 24, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where an 18-year-old killed 19 children and two teachers, in addition to injuring 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 is safe to send their children to school.
San Mateo County Schools Superintendent Nancy Magee deeply regretted 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".
He assured that as the investigation progresses and more is learned 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 help 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 each other, share our grief and pain, embrace our loved ones, go for walks, stay strong for our children and youth," he stressed.
For its part, the San Francisco Unified School District reported that they are taking safety plans and precautions "very seriously" and will have a comprehensive crisis plan in place for any emergency.
He also pointed out that the schools that are part of this School District have security measures such as: visitor registration, closed door procedures after the beginning of the school day and surveillance cameras.
The District noted that they have been informed by the San Francisco Police Department that they will have an increased police presence around the schools from Wednesday, May 25 through June 1.
For his part, the Contra Costa County Sheriff tweeted that while there are no known threats in his jurisdiction, he 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 before summer break.
California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted that the shooting, which killed at least 19 children and two adults, 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 kids safe? This is preventable. Our inaction is a choice. We need national, comprehensive, common sense gun safety NOW," he pointed out.
He added that gun safety laws are working, as in California, the rate of gun deaths has been cut in half since the 1980s.
"We won't 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 abounded.
For his part, President Joseph Biden lamented the tragedy and offered his condolences to the families, friends and community that lost and experienced what happened yesterday at Robb Elementary School.
"Parents will never see their child again. They will never again be able to take them to bed and cuddle with them. The 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're being sucked into it," he said in a message to media Tuesday night.
"As a nation, we have to ask when, in the name of God, are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? We all know in our gut that we have to?" asked the president as he recalled the massacre perpetrated at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14, 2012, where six adults and 20 children were killed by shots fired by Adam Lanza, who had earlier killed their mother in her home.
Since then, he said, more than 900 incidents of gunfire have been recorded on school grounds.
Just 10 days earlier, in a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, older adults were murdered - mostly African Americans - by an 18-year-old individual who called himself a white supremacist.
"I'm 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 that ?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 have to have the courage to stand up to the arms industry."
In a message of approximately 7 minutes, he detailed that there are massacres in all parts of the world, for different reasons, but never with the frequency that there are in the United States.
"We need to make it clear to every elected official in this country. It's time for action. 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 need to do more," he stressed.
With information from CBS News Bay Area
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