Once again our nation bows its head to mourn young lives cut down in yet another senseless school shooting.

Ten students were killed and more than a dozen wounded last week at Sante Fe High School in Texas. Arrested and charged with the crime is a fellow student.

Will this one be any different than the string of motionless bodies left bleeding in past shootings?

Sadly, if citizens simply sit back and wait for politicians to act, last week’s victims will be a statistic in an ever-growing problem facing our country — our nation’s schools are not safe.

In the hours after such tragedies, politicians have time and time again expressed sadness, frustration and a commitment to do something to curb the violence.

But as the hours turn into days, the days into weeks and the weeks into months, our national outrage seems to be quelled by the comfort in the status quo and our collective nation’s fear of losses.

We fear losing our privacy if mental health laws are tightened.

We fear losing our rights to bear arms if gun laws are touched.

But where is the fear that we’re losing our youth and our nation’s sense of security?

The problem is complex and the solutions will be as well, but we must start with a groundswell of support and a call to action by citizens.

Let’s begin the discussion and see if we can for once, make the deaths of these young people matter — by making America’s schools safer for the students of tomorrow.