In response to Ben Godar’s column on teen terrorists, I AM “worked up” about school violence — I have a right to be. Until yesterday, my primary concern was focused on Ames High School where my son goes. Now Ames Middle School, where my daughter attends, has been threatened with violence.

I depend on the school and the police to decide which threats merit evacuation. Godar stated it should take more than just an anonymous phone call to make several hundred people scatter like ants. At Ames High it took a bomb threat to disrupt the school day for 1,600 students and faculty.

If it is a tragedy to err on the side of safety, I am curious where Godar would draw the line? While I agree we can’t keep our children safe forever, you better believe this community is bending over backwards trying, and I commend them for their efforts. I find it interesting that Godar defines these juveniles as disillusioned high school terrorists, yet his article ends by saying we are altering our lives around the prank calls of a few attention-hungry kids. Could you please explain how we can distinguish between them?

I agree with Godar that the chances of being killed in a high school are next to none, but I also feel it is ignorant to believe that violence only happens in other communities. I also find it frustrating that he believes most attempts to achieve safety are laughable.

Ridicule flows with ease throughout his column, but not once does he offer any sensible or thought-provoking solutions to the threats and violence invading our schools.

Deb O’Brien

Resident

Ames