Gun violence in children’s settings is a growing global crisis, as seen in a tragic mass shooting Thursday in a Thailand preschool and any number of U.S. cases. Being prepared to recognize dangers and fend them off is a local imperative, though, which is the idea behind the state Department of Education’s first school safety conference on Wednesday.

What once seemed a worry for communities far from here, sadly, is now too easy to imagine. The DOE did the right thing to lay out the reality for its teachers and staff.