Active shooter drills in schools. Good or bad?

VanceMack · Feb 20, 2020

Depends.

If they held a day discussing all potential concerns and the means and measures to respond without trying to traumatize people in the process...great. You need to know what to do in case of a fire...an earthquake...a gas leak at the school...why not a school shooter.

But...

They should t teach students to be victims. Teach them to kick ass. Teach them to fight back. They should also teach them that the incidents of school shootings have about a .0000000167% chance of impacting them so be concerned...be prepared...and don’t freak out and live your life in fear about something that has an incredibly low likelihood of ever happening.

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Praxas · Feb 20, 2020

j brown's body said:
Wish I had thought of making a profit off training children to run from a shooter.

This is simply a grotesque consequence of having a government that refuses to protect its citizens. If it can't do that, what good is it?

That's a catch 22 there though. People want the government to protect citizens, but those same people don't want guns or law enforcement at schools. That's like sending someone out to fight a rabid lion with a rubber band.

Kreton · Feb 20, 2020

Sampson Simpson said:
I had one at work. It was basically pointless. Common sense. Hide, fight or run. Anything you can do to throw them off you should do.

It was interesting hearing the stories of mass shootings, the warning signs, the times people stepped up to stop the shooter, etc. But the advice was pretty common sense to me

It isn't pointless. Schools are implementing security protocols for when there is a security risk. There are safe areas in a school. Kids need to know where to go. Beyond that people behave more rationally when they know what to do. Especially kids. People make irrational decisions when they are scared. Knowing exactly what to do and allowing more instinctual decision making saves lives.

AmNat · Feb 20, 2020

Stealers Wheel said:
OK, so you're saying what the kids are being trained to do is wrong and you have a better way. Why do you say people would oppose your way? Scream bloody murder? Why?

I’m saying that the way active shooter training is done everywhere other than K-12 schools is better. It isn’t “my way”.

You already have people who claim that kids hiding under their desks is “traumatic”. Just imagine how people would respond to kids being told about barricading a door or physically fighting an attacker.

VanceMack · Feb 20, 2020

Kreton said:
It isn't pointless. Schools are implementing security protocols for when there is a security risk. There are safe areas in a school. Kids need to know where to go. Beyond that people behave more rationally when they know what to do. Especially kids. People make irrational decisions when they are scared. Knowing exactly what to do and allowing more instinctual decision making saves lives.

Do you ever hear of kids too traumatized to go to school because they are afraid that they will die in a school fire?

Its a serious question. Ive NEVER seen parents express their fear of sending kids to school or expressing that their kids are too frightened to go to school because they are afraid of school fires. Yet, school fires are fairly commonplace..."the result of an estimated annual average of 10,300 school property fires that required a fire department response. These school property fires caused an estimated annual average of 75 injuries and five fatalities." https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v14i14.pdf

On the other hand, parents are regularly interviewed in a state of panic over assault rifles and mass shootings...even thought the FACTS show that there have been a grand total of 18 mass shootings in schools of ALL TYPES (k-12, private, public, tech, language, university, etc) since 1982. Thats 18 shootings in 300,000 schools over 38 years. US Mass Shootings, 1982-2019: Data From Mother Jones’ Investigation – Mother Jones

So sure...teach disaster preparedness. But the problem is that too often these school 'trainings' are used as a means of terrorizing children and promoting gun control.

Bodi · Feb 20, 2020

swing_voter said:
Do you think schools should teach students, some as young as 5, what to do if there's an active shooter?

They are pointless the way that they are conducted presently...

Bodi · Feb 20, 2020

Stealers Wheel said:
That's not what you wrote. You said the school officials and the parents are responsible. You need to defend your assertion. Use Sandy Hook as an example. Or maybe Columbine. Tell us why it's the school officials who are responsible for the mayhem.

I think that he thinks that parents screw the kids up and that school officials know who will become a shooter but keep them enrolled anyway... he is obviously very naive.

mrjurrs · Feb 20, 2020

Josie said:
It absolutely should be a drill from kindergarten and up. No, it shouldn't be an actual recreation of what an active shooter in the school building would sound like - that's way too traumatic. Sadly, kids need to learn when it's a soft or hard lockdown, what exactly they need to do to keep themselves safe just as they do with fire drills, tornado drills, etc. They need to know that if they are in the hallway, they go to the closest classroom. If they are in their classroom, they need to get out of sight of the door and not make a sound.

We practice because we want kids to be prepared, not because we want them to be scared.

It doesn't matter what we want, the end result is the kids are scared.

Luther · Feb 22, 2020

swing_voter said:
Do you think schools should teach students, some as young as 5, what to do if there's an active shooter?

I know.... cuddling up in a corner is very proactive

Luther · Feb 22, 2020

Sampson Simpson said:
I had one at work. It was basically pointless. Common sense. Hide, fight or run. Anything you can do to throw them off you should do.

It was interesting hearing the stories of mass shootings, the warning signs, the times people stepped up to stop the shooter, etc. But the advice was pretty common sense to me

fight

yes, your odds are very good with someone with a gun

Luther · Feb 22, 2020

WillyPete said:
The staff should be drilled, but not the students. You can't reliably count on children act on the training in a crisis.

Every schools should have a response plan that allows them to control access to buildings, isolate buildings from each other, and coordinate with the police using their security cameras to guide them in. That and three armed security guards should be able to prevent or mitigate any school shooting.

If you want to protect schools, there's really no substitute for actually protecting them.

That and three armed security guards should be able to prevent or mitigate any school shooting.

Holy Mackerel!

That sounds like a lot of money$$$$$ and even more of a police state

Wow! !

Luther · Feb 22, 2020

Drawdown said:
I am not opposed to it necessarily depending on how it is handled as to not scare the kids.

scare the kids

Yes, it's all for the children(Emotion)

Just like we throw Billion upon Billions at our 17th in the world at best, Education

Luther · Feb 22, 2020

CaughtInThe said:
it won't stop the murders if the shooter has half a brain.

and also because 90% of school shootings are planned

Luther · Feb 22, 2020

Phys251 said:
No. They're traumatic. They put the emotional burden where it does not belong, onto children. A traumatized child cannot learn effectively.

Just go back to lockdown drills, where teachers closed and locked their doors and proceeded with class as normal.

Just go back to lockdown drills, where teachers closed and locked their doors and proceeded with class as normal.

Did you know the element of surprise has baffled military commanders for eons?

Outlook · Feb 22, 2020

swing_voter said:
Do you think schools should teach students, some as young as 5, what to do if there's an active shooter?

The overall risk of a school shooting is minimal.
Secondly it’s hard to drill for a specific set of circumstances.
When I was a kid we had to hide under a desk in the event of a bomb.
Many schools have a trained resource officer on campus.
Many intercity schools have to go through metal detectors to prevent them from stabbing each other.

danielpalos · Feb 22, 2020

swing_voter said:
Do you think schools should teach students, some as young as 5, what to do if there's an active shooter?

I believe there is no substitute for well regulated militia in our free States.

Luther · Feb 22, 2020

j brown's body said:
Wish I had thought of making a profit off training children to run from a shooter.

This is simply a grotesque consequence of having a government that refuses to protect its citizens. If it can't do that, what good is it?

This is simply a grotesque consequence of having a government that refuses to protect its citizens. If it can't do that, what good is it?

Well, you can start by addressing the Gun Free zones

Luther · Feb 22, 2020

danielpalos said:
I believe there is no substitute for well regulated militia in our free States.

But in this case, it would be just School staff being armed protecting students

Scary!

Luther · Feb 22, 2020

Stealers Wheel said:
I don't understand how the parents and school officials are largely responsible for the problem. Please enlighten us.

I don't understand how the parents and school officials are largely responsible for the problem.

For one, enabling Gun free zones?

Luther · Feb 22, 2020

JMaximus said:
Someone's screwing these kids up and someone is letting them stay in school.

Who are those someones?

Yes, and making them vulnerable at that!

bongsaway · Feb 22, 2020

Wow, this is the america we now live in. Scare the crap out of all of our school kids in order to save our guns.

Sad that guns take priority over our school children.

Luther · Feb 22, 2020

bongsaway said:
Wow, this is the america we now live in. Scare the crap out of all of our school kids in order to save our guns.

Sad that guns take priority over our school children.

in order to save our guns.

First, learn that Guns are part of Americanism 101(That's Not changing)

What missing is gun zones in our schools

SMTA · Feb 22, 2020

AmNat said:
The lockdown drills in K-12 are absolutely useless. Hiding under a desk (as students are trained to) does nothing except make identification of your body easier.

Then what is your educated solution?

bongsaway · Feb 22, 2020

Luther said:
First, learn that Guns are part of Americanism 101(That's Not changing)

What missing is gun zones in our schools

Wow. Sad.

I would bet my bottom dollar, my house, my life, if the founding fathers were around now and saw the slaughter of all of these innocent folks they would ban guns for private use.

Luther · Feb 22, 2020

bongsaway said:
Wow. Sad.

I would bet my bottom dollar, my house, my life, if the founding fathers were around now and saw the slaughter of all of these innocent folks they would ban guns for private use.

(LOL)

Why have you forgotten the "Gun Free Zones" part?

Yes, our Founding Fathers would be disappointed in us

Active shooter drills in schools. Good or bad?

Active shooter drills in schools. Good or bad?

Need more info

Yes, active shooter drills save lives

No, it's too much stress for children

Less like the tiger...more like the lion.

Doesn't know

Less like the tiger...more like the lion.

Just waiting for my set...

Just waiting for my set...

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