ASHWAUBENON (NBC 26) — Courtney Danielski, a mother of four who lives in Ashwaubenon, says she felt anxiety while dropping off her children at Pioneer Elementary School Wednesday morning.
She says she was horrified after learning of the school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers Tuesday at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. She says hearing the news of the shooting left her shaken.
“I almost didn’t want to send my kids to school today because you never know, it could happen to anyone," Danielski said. "I’m sure they didn’t expect it to happen and it’s just, it’s terrifying.”
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As a parent, she says it's extremely worrisome how sporadically mass shootings seem to occur across the country. She says she was terrified at the thought that a school shooting could happen anywhere.
“It can happen anywhere at any time, so you always have that thought in the back of your mind but I just have to have confidence in the school that they’re going to keep my children safe,” Danielski said.
Other parents said they felt angry that yet another mass shooting had occurred, pointing out the haunting similarity to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012.
"I was angry that it happened again because it just happened ten years ago," said Israel Sonnenschein, a parent who also lives in Ashwaubenon.
Danielski says it's difficult for her to try to have a conversation with her children about the shooting, as she worries about causing them to become scared to go to school.
"I have the thought in the back of my mind like 'should I send my kids to school?' and I try not to show them that because I don't want them to be afraid to go to school," Danielski said.
Above all, parents say they feel heartbreak for the parents in Texas who are going through the unimaginable.
“I don’t want to think about it because losing a child is the worst thing that can happen to you in your life," Sonnenschein said.
“I can’t even imagine what they’re going through, I try to imagine but I don’t ever want to have to imagine what they’re going through,” Danielski said.
