(Seguin) — Today we are learning more about the accidental shooting that occurred last week on a Seguin ISD school bus, and the impact that it continues to have on some students.
Dawna Mangrum says it was her 7-year-old daughter’s bus seat that was struck by a bullet after an elementary school student on that bus discharged a loaded gun — minutes after pulling into the bus loop outside of Jefferson Avenue Elementary School.
The incident was reported just days into the new school year on Tuesday, Aug. 22.
Speaking on Tuesday night before members of the Seguin ISD Board of Trustees, Mangrum shared details about that day. A day that her second grader at Jefferson will never forget.
“The seat itself and the school bus are designed in such a fashion there is steel under the upholstery. The presence of that steel might have saved the lives of at least one student sitting in the seat. My name is Dawna Mangrum and my daughter Charley was that ‘one student’ saved by a bit of steel. I am here tonight to present an education initiative to the board to help prevent an incident like what happened last week. Since the massacre at Robb Elementary, I have had recurrent nightmares of having to call my loved ones to tell them ‘It’s Charley’s school.’ Two weeks ago, the PreK program Charley attended 3 years ago found a firearm in a child’s backpack. I was immediately taken to my nightmare – she didn’t attend anymore, but it was my daughter’s school. Little did I know that exactly one week later, Charley would be sharing fruit roll ups with her friend on the bus while a bullet discharged into the back of her seat. It’s no longer ‘too close to home.’ It’s in my damn home and we will forever live with the aftermath of this trauma,” said Mangrum.
With the emotional wounds of that day still so deep, Mangrum says her attention is now on helping to develop an education initiative within the Seguin ISD.
“I am aware that we are at an impasse regarding common sense gun reform. Many in this country believe there is no price too high to ensure the right to bear arms while others believe those rights do not supersede our children’s rights to life. I will not mince words to say, I am firmly in the latter camp. But personal political ideologies don’t matter. We’ve been having this argument for decades and the only thing that changes is the amount of blood shed. At this point, we have to cross the aisle and do whatever we can for our kid’s safety. Obviously, we can discuss clear backpacks, metal detectors, and even no backpacks. But perhaps my most effective idea is education. Some kids know nothing about firearms except they are dangerous. Others have been handling guns since they could walk, while others fall somewhere in the middle…they know just enough to be a danger. I am not here to criticize parents for how they choose to approach this topic. But it’s not enough, as every day there are children who accidentally shoot their friends or family, “said Mangrum.
Mangrum says her plea is for the Seguin ISD to rely on what it does best, and that is to educate.
“We’ve been teaching school children how not to start forest fires since the 40s. We spend a week each year convincing children not to take drugs from kids in bathrooms (and I’d like to note, I’ve never had a random person offer me drugs in my life). We teach children not to drink and drive. And in these initiatives, we show them pictures of car accidents and are open about the consequences. It’s high time we teach our children what can happen when faced with a friend who wants to show off their dad’s cool pistol. If our society believes they are old enough to be using their friend’s dead bodies to protect themselves, then they are old enough to see the devastating effects guns can have in an instant,” said Mangrum.
In her presentation, Mangrum shared how this message to children is critical and how it must begin now.
“Public school is intended to be ‘the great equalizer.’ As I pointed out, our children all have different experiences with firearms. With an educational initiative, they can all be taught how to calmly and safely remove themselves, and anyone else, from this scenario. And I will be the first to volunteer to work with anyone to make this happen. This does not have to be presented as ‘guns are bad.’ We don’t tell children that knives and matches are bad. We tell them they should only be used under safe, adult supervision. This can be a neutral, but firm message that guns are powerful weapons that can have devastating impact, and as such, they should only be handled under parental supervision. This puts the choice back on the parents for how they want to educate while opening important lines of communication. Most importantly, it doesn’t shelter children from the potential consequences,” said Mangrum.
According to the mother, there had reportedly been talk about guns on the school bus that morning.
She says not being able to give students the know-how on what to do in such cases is why it’s even more important for the district to implement an education initiative.
“Additionally, the See Something, Say Something initiatives from recent years needs to be expanded to be See Something, Hear Something, Say Something. Kids are literal. Both my daughter and nephew heard conversations on the bus that morning regarding firearms. But since they didn’t
See’ anything, they didn’t say anything. As a society, we have failed our children by not looking at ways to cross the aisle while those in power fight it out in Washington. Our children will be grown before any progress is made on legislation, but we have opportunities to educate now. I do not believe this child would have brought a gun to school knowing the likelihood that he would accidentally shoot himself or a classmate. Nor do I believe the child talking to him would have been so calm sitting there. In my maelstrom of emotions, not only am I grateful that my daughter did not become a casualty, I am thankful that this boy will not live their life having taken the life of another. I don’t want that to be the reality for any child. I don’t know about the rest of you, but at this point, I think it’s more important to teach kids how to not accidentally shoot their friends than to teach them how to not start forest fires,” said Mangrum.
Mangrum says not only was her daughter on that bus that morning, but so were her niece and nephew.
After her presentation to the school board, Mangrum shared with the Seguin Daily News some of the fallout from that day. She says it has not been easy.
“Since then, there is no vessel that can hold the amount of emotions that we have been experiencing over the last week. As soon as the kids go to bed and we are done with the daily responsibilities, it’s like okay, I don’t know how to person anymore,” said Mangrum.
She says the personal battles and overall well-being, for her daughter and her nephew, have alone been challenging.
“So, my daughter is already neurodivergent and is already medicated for an anxiety disorder and ADHD.
And we are already seeing regression of behavior. Things that we had worked through in therapy with her that are already coming back. She has climbed in my bed with violent nightmares this past week. My nephew is having panic attacks. I’ll be reading him a book and he has to get up in the middle of the book to ask mom ‘are you sure that they are not going to put me back on the bus tomorrow. Are you sure they are not going to put me back?’ He has told us he doesn’t feel safe anywhere outside the house right now. He only feels safe with us. The only one that we are so far not seeing any major signs is the little on, the niece who is in kindergarten and she was asleep when it went off so she’s the only one that so far seems to be not showing any signs,” said Mangrum.
Again, fortunately nobody was injured during the incident. A total of 37 students from Jefferson and Koennecke elementary schools and the Ball Early Childhood Center were among those on the bus at the time of the incident. The driver on Bus #99 is said to have quickly jumped into action taking the gun, a .25 caliber semi-automatic handgun out of the hands of the local student.
Seguin Police officials have reported that there could be potential charges filed against the adults, who lived with the young male student, who fired the gun. That investigation continues.