March 31, 2023

Ep. 2 - In the Danger Zone: Colorado Schools Aren’t Safe (John & Maria Castillo, Max Schachter)

1 hour 12 minutes

Following the shooting of two administrators at Denver’s East High School, along with the tragic news of the Nashville murders, Heidi pivots the show this week to tell some truths, and lies, about the effort to keep our schools safe in Colorado. She talks about her experience on Gov. Hickenlooper’s School Safety Committee and some solutions that ARE working to keep kids safe in other states.

If the kids and staff don’t make it home every day, NOTHING ELSE MATTERS. Our nation’s schools have become dangerous, stressful, and destructive environments for children. No one understands this more than her guests today — John and Maria Castillo whose only son Kendrick sacrificed his life to save his class in the STEM School tragedy, and Max Schachter whose son Alex was murdered in the Parkland shooting.

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Full Episode Breakdown:

*Transcripts of Heidi's introductions (equipped with mentioned links) are posted via Substack every week!

Part 1 (0:00-19:50): Heidi shares her personal experience around school safety. She talks about:

The unfortunate circumstances in her own family that sparked her passion to start the non-profit Mom’s Fight Back.

The frustrating and shocking insights from her time on Gov. Hickenlooper’s School Safety Committee.

How unwilling politicians, fluffy legislation, and soft school administrators are pouring money into research and studies with ZERO action.

The effective solutions that already exist that schools can access and afford.

Part 2 (19:50-1:01:53): John and Maria Castillo share the devastating story of losing their only son Kendrick, the hero of the STEM school shooting in Highlands Ranch, CO in 2019. They’ve dedicated their lives to ensuring that no parent has to go through the same horrific experience, going to all ends to hold our schools accountable and make sure our children are safe. In this episode, they talk about:

What they went through the day of the shooting and how they still don’t have answers about Kendrick’s murder due to legal blocks.

The politicization of school shootings and how more gun legislation isn’t the answer.

Affordable and accessible ways to keep our schools safe.

The push they’re making to have school shootings be considered Domestic Terrorism.

Follow John & Maria: In Honor of a Hero: Kendrick Castillo

Part 3 (1:01:53-1:12:21): Max Schachter talks about how the loss of his 14-year-old son in the Parkland shooting could have been prevented. He shares about the incredible work he’s doing to empower parents to make informed decisions about their children’s education, and how the state of Florida has made monumental changes to protect kids and staff since Parkland.

Follow Safe Schools for Alex: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Follow Max: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter

...more

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By Heidi Ganahl