Melissa Joan Hart shared a heartbreaking story about the shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, this week.
As we’ve reported, a 28-year-old walked into the private school on Monday and killed six people — three 9-year-old students and three adult staff members. Since the devastating news broke, many celebrities have come forward to blast politicians for not doing more to protect kids from this senseless violence. And several public figures, who are currently residents of Music City, have also taken to social media to share their difficult experiences with the tragedy, including Melissa.
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The 46-year-old actress posted an emotional video to Instagram on Tuesday about the horrific incident, revealing that her sons – 17-year-old Mason, 15-year-old Braydon, and 10-year-old Tucker, whom she shares with husband Mark Wilkerson – went to a school very close to Covenant. Although their children were not present for school on Monday, Melissa noted this isn’t the first time they have been near a shooting. As the Sabrina the Teenage Witch alum explained, her family used to live in Connecticut before moving to Nashville and her sons also had been in a school near Sandy Hook Elementary School, where a fatal shooting happened in 2012 that left more than 20 people dead. So, so awful. Melissa expressed in the clip:
“My kids go to school right next to a school where there was a shooting today. We moved here from Connecticut where we were in school a little ways down from Sandy Hook, so this is our second experience with a school shooting with our kids being in close proximity. Luckily we are all okay.”
Melissa went on to recall that she and her husband “were on the way to school for conferences.” And while en route, the couple saw a kindergarten class who were trying to flee the Covenant School shooting and sprung into action to help them. She recounted:
“We helped a class of kindergartners across a busy highway. They were climbing out of the woods. They were trying to escape the shooter situation at their school. So, we helped all these tiny little kids cross the road and get their teachers over there and we helped a mom reunite with her children.”
Just gut-wrenching. Melissa then added:
“I just don’t know what to say anymore. Enough is enough. And just pray. Prayer for the families.”
Our hearts just break for the kids and their families. And as Melissa and countless others have said time and time again, enough is enough already. We are sick and tired of watching horrific massacres happen while politicians just sit back and refuse to do more to protect these children.
If you’re experiencing emotional distress related to incidents of mass violence, you can call or text the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 or visit their website at https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/disaster-distress-helpline for more resources.
[Image via Melissa Joan Hart/Instagram, NBC News/YouTube]