RE: No child should go to school in fear... (I disagree)
Fear is the rational reaction to something that can cause harm.
Phobia is the irrational feeling that you will be harmed by something otherwise harmless.
That said, there should be no reason a child should fear going to school.
The idea that we should keep our schools safe is a good one, but what good is a safe school if our children leave the campus to enter an unsafe world?
A shooter could easily wait in the neighborhood near a school even if we completely lock the school down and prevent any kind of weapon from entering the campus. It is an unfortunate fact that there are whackjobs out there who think shooting people is an acceptable response to whatever he or she is feeling.
Our children should be aware that there are dangers in the world they live in. They should treat people with respect and be vigilant in their perception of their surroundings. They should know what to do if there is an emergency or attack. To some degree, they should have a rational fear, and a plan of action for if that fear becomes a reality.
I agree that it sounds insensitive, but we unfortunately live in an insensitive world.
This is true until the "something" become "normal" then there is not fear anymore ... Like the car accidents.
Yes they should! But I do not see it so often lately, at least it does not look like parents are teaching that but the opposite. As @whatsup well says ...
I see this everyday in Germany, where I live.
Edit: What means "The idea that we should keep our schools safe is a good one"? What mean safe?
Edit 2: @whatsup you are a very sensitive "human bicht" ;)
Safe, in this context, means without controllable risk of injury or death.