Article September 20, 1999 Issue

PROTECTION IN THE SCHOOLYARD

Brenda Hylton Evers

One day at school, my sixth-grade son, Alex, was playing soccer with some of his friends. A group of eighth-graders ran by, saying, "Hit the ground. There's a guy up there with a gun!" Alex looked up and saw someone with a gun in an upper window of the apartment building behind the school, so he quickly got down on the ground. From there, he saw dust fly up nearby, as if the ground were being hit by bullets.

As he lay on the ground, he remembered a story he had heard in Sunday School about someone who, when threatened, had seen himself surrounded by protective light. Alex understood this to be the light of God, divine Truth. Remembering that story, he felt protected. Then when all was quiet, he quickly left the field.

When I picked Alex up from school, he told me what had happened. Naturally, I spoke with the principal, who was unaware of the incident although he had been on the field at the time. Further investigation by the principal and ultimately by the police brought to light the story of a suspended student who lived in those apartments and, on at least two occasions, had fired a BB gun at students on the field. Several other students knew about this situation, but Alex was the only one willing to tell anyone what had happened. His honesty did not endanger him in any way. On the contrary, he was allowed to remain anonymous throughout the police investigation. Eventually, even though no one had been seriously injured, the student who had fired the BB gun was expelled from school for the remainder of the year and turned over to the police.

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