Parents and school officials left feeling powerless, desperate for schools to be safe

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - School shootings have risen to a dangerous level of normal in the nation, leaving parents struggling to believe their kids will ever be safe in schools again.

It’s been three days since the tragedy that struck a Nashville private academy. Six lives were taken by a gunman. Three of those were children.

Bay District Safety and Security Chief of Police, Douglas Boortz is in charge of 20 elementary schools in Bay County. His thoughts imply that the change people demand may not come for a while.

“Listen, this is going to be an ongoing issue, for a long, long, long time,” Boortz said. “The fight is not at my level. The fight is a lot higher than I am.”

Boortz said police departments are without sufficient equipment, training, and manpower.

Hundreds of parents rallied outside of the Tennessee Capitol after the massacre Thursday. Some want guns removed. Others, want them in the hands of the school staff.

One Tennessee father on vacation with family, Jimmy Phillips said something just isn’t right.

“It makes you feel uneasy-uncertain-on whether you need to send your kids to school, or home school them,” Phillips said.

Thursday, Governor Ron DeSantis signed off on a bill, making it legal to carry a concealed weapon. This, only adding to the back-and-forth squabble between lawmakers.

The question isn’t about school safety anymore. Now, it’s about taking action, and soon.