The brave act of a mother in Texas turning in her own son to the police has started a national talk about how important it is for parents to be alert and how early intervention can help stop school violence.
Nicole Schubert, a mother from Washington who is 41 years old, called the police on her 17-year-old son in 2019 after finding a disturbing diary entry in which he wrote about his plans to carry out a mass shooting at his high school.
The note in her son’s journal, which Schubert called “heartbreaking” and “very descriptive,” explained his plans to kill everyone at school, including his mother and her boyfriend. It also said exactly what day and time the attack was going to happen.
People did not take Schubert’s choice to turn her son in lightly. She wanted to protect her child because she was a mother, but she knew she had to put the safety of other people first. As a parent, your first thought is to keep your kid safe. “But at that point, I thought he would be safer in jail if he was going to do those things,” she said.
Schubert probably stopped a tragedy from happening. Her son was later arrested and charged with harassment-domestic violence and crime threat to damage or destroy property. He was also told to go through a program to check his mental health and do 18 months of community control.
Schubert’s son has gotten help for his depression, finished high school, and is now hoping to go to college in the years since the event. It wasn’t easy for Schubert to turn him in, but she thinks it was the right thing to do to save lives.
Schubert’s story is a strong reminder of how important it is for parents to be involved and watchful in order to stop school violence. She tells all parents that they should know what their kids are doing and look out for any signs that something might be wrong.
