Recently, for the first time in American history, the parents of a school shooter have been charged in light of their child’s own trial. In this case, Jennifer and James Crumbley have been charged for four counts of involuntary manslaughter, each for one of the students their son had killed. 

This is one of the most complex legal cases in recent history, especially because of the precedent it sets for future trials involving school shootings. Both parents still have a chance to appeal their jury’s verdict, but it likely won’t matter in face of the overwhelming evidence presented by both teams of prosecution. 

Either side blamed the other, but it ultimately didn’t matter as both were convicted with their provided charges in this precedent-setting case. Which answers a very important question: Should a parent be charged with the deaths caused by their children?

“I think if they’re (children) over the age of sixteen, absolutely not, they’re old enough to make their own choices, they’re practically an adult at this point,” said one Abigail Melson, a student at Great Bend High School. 

It’s an interesting idea, one antithetical to what’s been said so far. The Crumbley’s son was fifteen years old at the time of the shooting. The parents didn’t have their finger on the trigger, sure, but as the legal case established, they gave their son the gun in the first place. 

Melson continued, “however if they’re younger it’s up to the parents to decide how they’re acting and how to influence the decisions. But at the same time, they’re (the parents) not the ones who did it, and sometimes they’re not even in the same town.” 

But this isn’t the only opinion in GBHS. 

Libbi Shives, another student, had this to say. “I think it depends. If they (the parents) saw the warning signs, then yeah, for sure.” Shives continued, “The parent isn’t always going to be there to watch their kid… Obviously if their kid isn’t around them… maybe they aren’t as responsible, but I think they should still be responsible.”

“I think they (the Crumbley’s) were tried a little too hard. I mean, did they know if their kid brought the gun to school, probably not, should they have kept the gun locked up, yes.”

This is a unique precedent setting case that will have far-reaching ripples in our legal systems. Ones we should do our best to stay mindful of and use as an even greater fire to be good parents and change the system that has made us number one in the amount of school shootings we have.