Lucinda Roy, author of No Right to Remain Silent: The Tragedy at Virginia Tech, believes that education is heading to a perfect storm. Although she said she was warned not to write the book, she did so because “I believe we have to speak openly if we are to prevent these tragedies.”
Roy shared her comments during Virginia Press Women’s fall conference when she was honored as its Newsmaker of the Year.
Roy lists 10 reasons why education is heading to a perfect storm —
1) Shortage of teachers
2) Lack of mental treament facilities for students
3) Accessibility to gun and bomb making information on the Internet
4) Mental illness and suicidal tendencies in students
5) Non-teacherly focus of presidents, deans, who have not taught
6) Pop culture exposure to excessive violence
7) Growing divide that separates youth culture and adult culture
8) Prevalence of bullying in K-12
9) Rise in alcohol, drug abuse
10) Open campuses with littel security
She wrote the book because “We have to speak out,” she said. “We can’t let it happen again.”
Cynthia's Communique 
I have wondered if such mayhem went on when I attended school, as some claim. No; children weren’t afraid of being beaten, shot, or stabbed. We even had public “reform schools” for “juvenile delinquents.” Yes, let me answer the question before it’s asked, there were many injustices in this system. But children attended school without fear of shootings, stabbings, and beatings. Social propriety and ethical behavior were expected of children, teachers, and parents. I wonder at parents and principals who think that abusive, violent, sociopathic behaviors are “part of being a kid.”
Today many new teachers spawned by disastrous schools are worse than the children. A day doesn’t pass without a salacious story of teachers molesting children, indulging themselves in sexual behavior, hetero and gay, or selling drugs.
Lucinda Roy is courageous to voice the unthinkable: money won’t improve the schools. I’m thankful for journalists who don’t pander to administrators, political spokesmen, psychologists, fundamentalists, or the crowd. Roy’s straightforward exposition is irrefutable.
She was quite the speaker. She gave everyone in the audience much to think about.
I am on the Marketing Communications staff at Texas A&M University-Commerce, a little over an hour from Dallas. I really appreciated your article, great points. I was at the NFPW conference in Richmond and met a few of the Virginia Tech staffers. Best of luck to you.
Mary Lou Hazal
Glad you made it to Richmond. I was one of the co-organizers and loved the line up of speakers, but hardly had time to hear any! Hope to see you in Chicago.