Teacher Says The 'Solution' To School Shootings Is For Every Parent To Get A High Value Life Insurance Policy For Their Child
Her suggestion might sound ruthless but, unfortunately, it might be the only option we have left.
@niekarichard / TikTok Every parent, teacher, and student has had the same fear cross their mind at least once: the possibility of a school shooting happening in their very own school district. The fear is terrifyingly becoming more and more likely every day.
In 2022, the number of those injured or killed in school shooting incidents reached a record high, with 132 incidents of school shootings being reported by the Gun Violence Archive data. 74 people were killed and 190 were injured by firearms in schools across the U.S.
Now, parents are facing the harsh reality that their children may not make it home after sending them to school. One teacher is advising them about the heartbreaking measures they must take to ensure these shootings come to an end and finally receive the critical attention they have been begging for years.
The teacher is urging parents to a high-value life insurance policy for their children.
Nieka Richard, a dedicated teacher, is one of the many people in the country who have been especially affected by school shootings. Every day, she is faced with the possibility that her classroom could become a battleground.
To put a halt to these incidents, she is calling on parents of children in grade schools. She shares her crucial message for them in a heartbreaking TikTok video that has been viewed over one million times.
“If you have a child that goes to school, right now go get the highest value life insurance policy that you can,” she says. Richard argues that this will force insurance companies across the U.S. to finally advocate for children’s lives since their businesses will be directly impacted. “If we all insure our kids, insurance companies will have no choice but to lobby with us.”
Additionally, she encourages parents to talk to their children about disregarding fire alarms if they go off at their schools, pointing out that intruders often pull the fire alarm to lure people out of the classroom so they can attack.
“I do understand that this poses another safety risk, but dying in a fire at school has much less probability than dying from a gun at school,” Richard says.
Richard also encourages parents to ensure that their concerns are heard loud and clear by school boards.
“Send emails, write letters, go to school board meetings, pushing for a single point of entry into every single school that is not attached to the main office,” she says.
Richard believes that schools should be treated as gated communities, where there is a checkpoint that is separate from the school building that requires entry clearance. This could decrease the chances of an attacker even reaching school grounds.
Lawsuits against school districts are also an effective method of putting an end to school shootings. “If you or someone you know has been personally affected by school-bases terror, first of all, I am so sorry,” Richard says. “Secondly, sue the district. Whether you were in the school or in the area where a mass shooting has occurred, you are entitled to compensation.”
She points out the harsh reality that it all comes down to money, and nothing will be done to stop school shootings unless the country’s financial well-being is at stake.
Other TikTok users were overwhelmed by Richard’s heartbreaking but true claims.
“This is the smartest advice I’ve ever heard regarding this topic. It’s sad that the only thing that matters is money but it’s true,” one user commented. “It’s ridiculous that we have to resort to things like this to save our babies,” another user wrote. “As a life insurance agent in NC, I had a mom message today to get [her child] coverage. I cried while doing it,” another user shared.
Other users were concerned that all of the added security measures that would have to be enacted would turn schools into prisons. In a follow-up video, Richard addresses the concerns, claiming that she knows where they are coming from, but notes that all businesses have safety measures in place to protect their employees.
“It doesn’t make them a prison. It makes them mindful of the world that we live in,” Richard says. As a teacher, added safety measures are all she is asking for, but is well aware that without the threat of lost money, more lives will continue to be lost.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.