Football coach “died a hero” protecting students at Florida shooting

“The kids in this community loved him. They adored him. He was one of the most phenomenal people I knew. He was a phenomenal man.” That’s how Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel described Aaron Feis, an assistant football coach and security guard who was fatally shot trying to protect students during Wednesday’s mass shooting.

The school issued its own statement, noting that Feis “died a hero and he will forever be in our hearts and memories.” Coach Feis leaves behind his wife and a daughter.

In addition, geography teacher Scott Beigel reportedly shielded his students and paid with his life. Another victim, athletic director Chris Hixon, was also killed while protecting students.

As a father and grandfather, I cannot begin to imagine the gratitude I would feel for someone who died defending my family. But their sacrifice leads me to ask what you and I can do to protect our children and their schools.

Let’s assess the challenge before us, then consider a way every Christian in America can respond today.

How can we protect 140,000 schools?

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there are nearly 140,000 schools in the United States. It is an overwhelming task to secure them from attack. Even if we posted metal detectors at every door, a criminal could shoot students as they left the campus.

Sometimes the authorities are able to prevent atrocities. For instance, police in Everett, Washington, thirty miles north of Seattle, arrested eighteen-year-old Joshua Alexander O’Connor last Tuesday on attempted murder and other charges. The arrest came one day before the massacre in Florida.

Earlier, O’Connor’s grandmother called 911 and showed responding officers a journal where he allegedly made plans to shoot students and use explosives at his school. His bail was set at $5 million.

Unfortunately, many attackers are like Nikolas Cruz, the alleged shooter in Florida. One student told authorities, “I can’t say I was…