Children School Teacher on Active Shooter Response

In a discussion on freerepublic.com   about the Navy Yard active shooter situation, MacMattico posted this response about how the children in his daughter's school responded to an active shooter exercise:

First week of school, my daughter's entire school was put on “lockdown”. They couldn't leave their classes and doors (including classroom doors) were locked. Some idiot had called in a “threat” is all we have been told.

The boys started speaking up first, telling the teacher “if we hear gun shots we're not sitting here” and the teacher repeated they were suppose to stay seated until the “lockdown” was lifted.

Fortunately, nothing happened but the class had already made plans to use the fire escape window to get out if a gunman approached, and how to quickly move a large piece of furniture in front of the door to afford more escape time. The fastest kid in the class volunteered to be the first out the fire escape to run as fast as he could to see if it was safe down there. The girls were in on the plan, to, but chivalry is not dead as the boys said they would help the girls get out first.

The teacher said even if there's gun fire, the plan is to stay seated. One kid told her then you can stay seated next to the door and keep look out while we get out. 

 Notice that the students were not worried about breaking regulations.  They were worried about survival.   They created a plan based on developing circumstances, not one that had to work in all situations.   They were not disrespectful, they simply refused to allow the teacher to dictate to them that they must die in place.

It is interesting that their plan is very close to what actually worked in some school shootings.   A "lockdown" without a means of defense simply creates rooms full of hostages to be exploited.  In a great many situations, running away is a good survival strategy.

Unfortunately, from a bureaucratic standpoint, fleeing the scene of an active shooter is not tenable, because it cannot easily be done with absolute safety in drills.  First graders cannot be allowed to wander from the school.  Middle and high school students may make a drill into an impromptu day off from school, if they leave the campus.

Still, it is refreshing to see students who are willing to think for themselves, evaluate a situation, and take action.  Too bad school officials cannot seem to foster such a sense of responsibility and to build on it.


 ©2013 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.