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Email from my son's (kindergarten) classmates father

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crazygambit

Member
Netherscourge said:
Well, they used to do Nuclear drills back in the 60's - not that hiding under a desk would save you from a nuclear explosion.

Better safe than sorry.
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This is the point though. What's the point in doing drills with 5 year olds against a shooter? You think a bit of training is gonna do anything to increase their survival chances against such a scenario?

Earthquake drills are done mostly so children learn how to evacuate safely during an earthquake, not to save their life during such an event, which unless we're talking mega earthquake isn't gonna be life threatening anyway.

Kids know earthquakes exist and are not something to be feared. How do you explain to a 5 year-old why he was just drilling against a potential shooter at school? And what's the point of them other than instilling fear in them?
 
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ColdPizza

Banned
spekkeh said:
So school shooters would have taken part in a large number of school shooting drills?
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This is actually a good point if you think about it. It seems most (if not all) school shooters are disgruntled or mentally disturbed students, so they would know what their targets are going to do.
 
X

xRaizen

Member
TheExecutive said:
They aren't just for that no... but a very large reason they are so widespread. My fiancé is a teacher- worst day of the year for her.
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Here in Florida we had lockdown drills, fire drills, and severe weather drills (hurricanes and extreme thunderstorms). Lockdown drills always had an administrator in each building checking doors to see if they were locked and if anyone was in view through the small window on the door.
 
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NoblesseOblige

Banned
crazygambit said:
This is the point though. What's the point in doing drills with 5 year olds against a shooter? You think a bit of training is gonna do anything to increase their survival chances against such a scenario?

Earthquake drills are done mostly so children learn how to evacuate safely during an earthquake, not to save their life during such an event, which unless we're talking mega earthquake isn't gonna be life threatening anyway.

Kids know earthquakes exist and are not something to be feared. How do you explain to a 5 year-old why he was just drilling against a potential shooter at school? And what's the point of them other than instilling fear in them?
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It's for staff as much as it is for students. And again, lockdown drills aren't exclusive to active shooters. I listed reasons in my previous post as to actual lockdown scenarios I've experienced as a student and now a member of school faculty. It has nothing to do with instilling fear. In fact most the kids mess around and find the experience a welcomed break from learning.
 
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PillarEN

Member
I recall having a similar drill in high school. Better to know what to do if there is a reason for a lockdown instead of everyone thinking on the fly which could cause disorganization. It's like a fire drill. Sure as students we would crack jokes and stuff because you're teenagers but if a lockdown happened for whatever reason (it doesn't have to be because a shooter is in the school) you know exactly what you're supposed to do.

Imagine if there was a tragedy at a school and then it was discovered that the students had no training on what to do in those circumstances. People would be outraged the school didn't take any precautions.
 
C

Cymbal Head

Banned
I went to school in the podunkest town imaginable, in a place that had virtually no chance of ever experiencing an earthquake, tornado, or lockdown situation, and we did drills for each of those things once a year, I think, basically from kindergarten through 12th grade. Fire drills were more frequent.

We were always told in advance of the drill that it was coming, and it was for practice, but we should remember it in case of a real emergency. There's absolutely no harm in being prepared.
 
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RageWaffles

Member
My (very rural) elementary school did "lockdown" drills for one or two years back in the 90s, pre-Columbine. My impression then that was those lockdowns were to protect kids who were in involved in custody disputes or the like.

Totally not surprised that elementary schools now are doing active-shooter drills; though, the actor does seem like a bit much.
 
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Bradach

Member
This seems like a very bad idea. It creates a fear in the children and makes them feel unsafe. I know my daughter would be worried after something like that.

What value does it have? If a 'bad man' did arrive at the school all the children hiding under their desks is not going to make much difference. A fire drill on the other hand shows the children which route to take, where to stand, that its like to move in a large group etc.
 
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More_Badass

Member
Bradach said:
This seems like a very bad idea. It creates a fear in the children and makes them feel unsafe. I know my daughter would be worried after something like that.

What value does it have? If a 'bad man' did arrive at the school all the children hiding under their desks is not going to make much difference. A fire drill on the other hand shows the children which route to take, where to stand, that its like to move in a large group etc.
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Locking the doors and staying out sight rather than roaming the halls in groups while a potentially dangerous person is in the building? And at least in my school, the doors were thick, heavy, and had deadbolts so they were pretty secure
 
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NoblesseOblige

Banned
Bradach said:
This seems like a very bad idea. It creates a fear in the children and makes them feel unsafe. I know my daughter would be worried after something like that.

What value does it have? If a 'bad man' did arrive at the school all the children hiding under their desks is not going to make much difference. A fire drill on the other hand shows the children which route to take, where to stand, that its like to move in a large group etc.
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No it does not create a fear. Christ, what is with people thinking this is some traumatic terrible experience for kids? Our elementary students are taught to buddy up and play 'quiet games' during drills. They're like 10 minute long breaks to them. And I wish people would actually read the thread and realize active shooters aren't the sole reason these drills are implemented.
 
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Bradach

Member
More_Badass said:
Locking the doors and staying out sight rather than roaming the halls in groups while a potentially dangerous person is in the building? And at least in my school, the doors were thick, heavy, and had deadbolts so they were pretty secure
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Its the drill I'm criticising. I don't see its value, all it does is make the children feel afraid and insecure.

NoblesseOblige said:
No it does not create a fear. Christ, what is with people thinking this is some traumatic terrible experience for kids? Our elementary students are taught to buddy up and play 'quiet games' during drills. They're like 10 minute long breaks to them. And I wish people would actually read the thread and realize active shooters aren't the sole reason these drills are implemented.
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You really think that telling small 5 year old children to hide under desks while a "bad guy" walks around the halls outside wouldn't frighten them?
 
H

hey_monkey

Banned
As a parent, I will say the issue here is not a drill happening, but parents not being informed. Especially with kids so young, parents need to know to be able to answer questions and help their children understand. Hell, they even tell us when fire drills are scheduled so I'm really uncertain as to why the school would not tell parents about this.
 
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Apathy

Member
It's this a new phenomenon in the states to have these intruder drills? I did up to grade 5 in the US back in the early 90's and then the rest of my education in Canada, and the only drills I ever did were fire drills in both places.
 
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NoblesseOblige

Banned
Bradach said:
You really think that telling small 5 year old children to hide under desks while a "bad guy" walks around the halls outside wouldn't frighten them?
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No, but that's also likely not what happened. Kids are freaking stupid and don't know what's going on so I'm not trusting the words of a kid told through their father through the OP. The person in the hall is almost certainly a police officer. If a particular school is in fact using actors in camouflage, then yes, that school is being a little aggressive about it. But that's an issue with a particular implementation, not drills itself.

Apathy said:
It's this a new phenomenon in the states to have these intruder drills? I did up to grade 5 in the US back in the early 90's and then the rest of my education in Canada, and the only drills I ever did were fire drills in both places.
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They're typically called lockdown drills (or in the elementary schools I serve 'purple drills'). And at least in my districts they are mandated by the state school board. I don't know the exact numbers off the top of my head but we're required to fulfill a certain amount of fire, tornado, and lockdown drills every school year.

Edit: Just looked it up, our requirements are: "Schools to perform at least five (5) fire safety drills, two (2) tornado safety drills, and three (3) lock down emergency drills."
 
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Bradach

Member
NoblesseOblige said:
No, but that's also likely not what happened. Kids are freaking stupid and don't know what's going on. The person in the hall is almost certainly a police officer. If a particular school is in fact using actors in camouflage, then yes, that school is being a little aggressive about it. But that's an issue with a particular implementation, not drills itself.
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But what does this drill actually teach the children? I genuinely don't see the benefit of practicing hiding under the desk.
If a 'bad guy' was actually walking the halls the teacher would tell the kids to get under their desks and hide while the teacher locks the door.
As far as I can see all the drill does is make the children aware this this could possibly happen one day and in my experience this idea would worry some children.
 
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Skellig Gra

Member
I really don't see the issue with this. People freak the fuck out in emergency situations. It's best to have a little preparation, even if you save 1 life it would be worth it.
 
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kendrid

Banned
In the town we live in (NW burbs of Chicago) our schools have been on a real lockdown I believe three times already this year. They lockdown for escaped criminals, when that cop was killed (suicide), etc. My kids say after the school is properly locked down and secure they run around and play games.
 
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NoblesseOblige

Banned
Bradach said:
But what does this drill actually teach the children? I genuinely don't see the benefit of practicing hiding under the desk.
If a 'bad guy' was actually walking the halls the teacher would tell the kids to get under their desks and hide while the teacher locks the door.
As far as I can see all the drill does is make the children aware this this could possibly happen one day and in my experience this idea would worry some children.
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Teaches them to stay calm , behave, and not run around the halls. Like I said in a previous post we had a lockdown when a wild deer broke through the glass and ran frightened and injured in the halls. We also have them almost weekly in the special education building when certain students with behavioral concerns are triggered. Would you prefer a world where kids are running around confused getting trampled by a mini horse or one in which an all encompassing drill is implemented to help safeguard it? Being prepared and being scared are different things. Man, some people here must really hate boy scouts.
 
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VendettaRed07

Member
We did active shooter drills from elementary till highschool.

Never had an actor though, the principal (I think) would just walk by to see if they could see anyone in the classrooms.

Its pretty much necessary at this point. School shootings are becoming pretty much as common as fires
 
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Norfair

Member
My daughter just started kindergarten this year and they do these sorts of drills. However the principal usually emails all the parents when they hold them so that parents don't get the weird half stories from their kids and misinterpret them.
 
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Bradach

Member
NoblesseOblige said:
Teaches them to stay calm , behave, and not run around the halls. Like I said in a previous post we had a lockdown when a wild deer broke through the glass and ran frightened and injured in the halls. We also have them almost weekly in the special education building when certain students with behavioral concerns are triggered. Would you prefer a world where kids are running around confused getting trampled by a mini horse or one in which an all encompassing drill is implemented to help safeguard it? Being prepared and being scared are different things. Man, some people here must really hate boy scouts.
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The scenario in the OP is what I am discussing. The scenario the children were asked to "hide under the teacher’s desk from a “bad guy”…an actor in camouflage roaming the halls".
Are you saying that "drill" teaches the children to "stay calm , behave, and not run around the halls"? Because I don't agree.
 
E

exmachina64

Banned
Hylian7 said:
This sounds like a drill we had to do in middle school (called a "L.E.A.P." drill, I forget what it stands for), but basically we had to hide under a desk, or in a corner where windows couldn't see, turn the lights off, teacher locked the door, and stay quiet. They didn't do anything like a guy in camoflauge though, that's fucked up.

They did have this weird thing though where the drill would be where the principle would say "There is a red Ford Edzil (really shitty Ford car that flopped) in the parking lot, you need to move your car", and that would queue the drill.
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At my high school, they used the governor's name.

"Attention, teachers: Governor [insert name] is on campus."
 
M

More_Badass

Member
Bradach said:
The scenario in the OP is what I am discussing. The scenario the children were asked to "hide under the teacher’s desk from a “bad guy”…an actor in camouflage roaming the halls".
Are you saying that "drill" teaches the children to "stay calm , behave, and not run around the halls"? Because I don't agree.
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It's extremely likely that "bad guy" was the school officer going through the halls checking the windows, and not an actor playing a "bad guy"

I could easily see a teacher explaining that the officer would be going through the halls and they would lock the door and hide as if a bad guy was in the building, and thus the child explaining it as a bad guy roaming the halls.
 
A

Apathy

Member
NoblesseOblige said:
No, but that's also likely not what happened. Kids are freaking stupid and don't know what's going on so I'm not trusting the words of a kid told through their father through the OP. The person in the hall is almost certainly a police officer. If a particular school is in fact using actors in camouflage, then yes, that school is being a little aggressive about it. But that's an issue with a particular implementation, not drills itself.



They're typically called lockdown drills (or in the elementary schools I serve 'purple drills'). And at least in my districts they are mandated by the state school board. I don't know the exact numbers off the top of my head but we're required to fulfill a certain amount of fire, tornado, and lockdown drills every school year.

Edit: Just looked it up, our requirements are: "Schools to perform at least five (5) fire safety drills, two (2) tornado safety drills, and three (3) lock down emergency drills."
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Is it a relatively new drill to have like say within the last decade (or like since columbine)?
 
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chifanpoe

Member
Both of my girls, 5 and 9, one in kindergarten and the other in 4th grade. Have fire alarm drills as well as school lockdown drills at their respective elementary schools here in IL.
 
EYEL1NER

EYEL1NER

Member
I don't know if my daughter's school does lockdown drills but I would hope that they do. I remember fire drills, tons of tornado drills in Missouri, earthquake drills, and then after Columbine, lockdown drills. And as an adult I have done tons of exercises and scenarios both in the military and post-military but still working on a base. Having plans in place for threats and emergencies is never a bad thing. As has been mentioned, there are a number of good reasons to lock down the school besides an active shooter too. I wouldn't feel angry if I wasn't notified that the school was going to do an active shooter drill, unless it was something that was a full-on coordinated training exercise with a local police station that would see cops running through the halls and sirens from first responders blaring and stuff. I don't recall my parents ever being notified of any drills when I was in school.

"Culture of fear?" We live in a culture of guns, death, and apathy. It definitely sucks to think about my six-year-old huddled in a corner of a room while a man with a gun prowls the halls shooting children, but it also sucks thinking of her trapped in a burning room cut off from an exit or covering her neck and head with her hands in the hallway as a tornado rips apart the building. I am not necessarily worried that any of those things are going to happen; I don't stay awake at night scared that something will happen to my daughter at school. All of those things they drill for are possible though, even if they are not likely, and the school should have some plan in place for them.

As for the "don't tell anyone" and the stuff about the actor in the halls, these are young kids. Those parts of the story sound weird but it's easy for things to be embellished, misunderstood, or made up. If there is still some kind of concern, OP, then ask the teacher. I don't get any vibes of some huge crime being committed or anyone being get harmed from the email, so I personally wouldn't talk to the teacher, but I am curious if the drills happen at my daughter's school so I am going to ask her this afternoon when I pick her up if they do them.
 
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Asturie

Member
I'm 29 now but I remember doing intruder drills in elementary school a few times and like once in high school. Granted the one in high school was a month or so after 9/11. In elementary school I remember being told to get behind the teachers desk because it wasn't located in a position where someone just walking by the door/window could see us and it was a huge desk.
 
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BamfMeat

Member
So let me get this straight - you don't want drills in school because you're afraid it will scare your kid?

You know what's even scarier? Having a man rush into the classroom your kid is in, shooting other kids up. Your kid seeing his friends' head shot off. That's scarier.

Just because it's a "small chance" of happening doesn't mean the next time it happens it won't be at your school.

If they asked the one little girl to go under the teacher's desk, that's odd. If the kid got the story a little wrong, there's nothing wrong with what they've done, "actor" coming through and looking through the window and all.

Stop being a hover-parent and think about the damn safety of your kid instead of their "innocence". We don't live in an innocent world anymore. We live in a world where people will shoot up schools because they're angry.
 
P

Pai Pai Master

Banned
I'm fine with the drills but having an actor decked out in camo and stuff seems a bit overkill, just scaring young kids for no real reason.

We had this type of drill in our elementary and middle school. If someone came on the PA asking a faculty member to return the popcorn machine to the cafeteria that was the trigger for the drill.
 
rbanke

rbanke

Member
Update: This morning the other father talked to his daughter and he says he got it out of her that this was something she was playing on the playground and embellished. My son confirmed he had no idea what I was talking about when I asked him. I talked to the teacher just to follow up and she said they do in fact do lockdown drills but nothing like what was described. It was what many of you described, lock the doors and move the children away from the windows. This is something I am totally ok with, this addresses a wide array of potential dangerous situations. What I was not ok with is putting it in our/my kids mind that a school shooting is going to happen or is at all likely, it's not. I've already said this but I'll say it again, Don't get me wrong, there is no amount of acceptable shootings and I side with those who believes a huge problem, but that does not make it a likely occurrence, the statistics show that. Its that specific reason that parading around a pretend gunman and acting like they might get shot is bad.


soco said:
Definitely follow up.

However, be careful not to fall into the trap about something being too specific for an X year old to make up. Kids have a habit of both repeating bit of pieces of things they've heard and joining it with other details. As you press them, they'll make more details up. My nephew, even at like 3 would make up these oddly specific stories about all manner of things. The more you talked to him, the more detailed the stories would get.

Part of what makes them especially odd are their ability to integrate, sometimes almost verbatim, fragments of things they've heard other people say.
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I feel like i'm a very level headed, logical person and this is something I'd say so someone. Thanks for reminding me, its definitely true (case in point).

noquarter said:
How is this instilling fear in children? Through practicing these drills they will probably be a lot more calm if they are in the situation. I understand your desire to want to know more but opting out seems silly.

In California we used to run earthquake drills. Always seemed really silly, but about once a month we would all get under the desks and grab the legs. Never really understood why, but always complied. Then one day we had an earthquake and everyone did exactly what we were supposed to, got under the desks and held the legs. No one was afraid or panicked, just protected ourselves like we were taught.

In Colorado for high school we would occasionally run tornado drills, finding something to get under and waiting, almost the same thing. Never had to actually perform this one but I really think it would have calmed me down if a tornado was coming to the school, would have had to think about the drill and would have felt comfortable about it.

Also, not to sound too much like an ass, but you really should get in the habit of asking your kid about his day. Just make it seem natural so that if something changes you have a baseline. He might not like it now, but will get used to it and you will have an easier time if things start going south. My daughter hated me asking about her day every day 'Dad, nothing happened, it was just school.' I kept asking though and didn't stop when that was the answer and now she knows what to tell me. If she starts to say something different or gets upset I have a queue to dig deeper and see what actually happened. One day it was just a boy picking on her at lunch, but we had a talk about when to go to teachers.

If you don't want to, I get it but it won't get any easier. Just something to think about.
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You don't sound like an ass. I do ask him everyday how his day was and try to get him to talk about it, but that doesn't mean he wants to. I do and will keep working on that with him though.

BamfMeat said:
So let me get this straight - you don't want drills in school because you're afraid it will scare your kid?

You know what's even scarier? Having a man rush into the classroom your kid is in, shooting other kids up. Your kid seeing his friends' head shot off. That's scarier.

Just because it's a "small chance" of happening doesn't mean the next time it happens it won't be at your school.

If they asked the one little girl to go under the teacher's desk, that's odd. If the kid got the story a little wrong, there's nothing wrong with what they've done, "actor" coming through and looking through the window and all.

Stop being a hover-parent and think about the damn safety of your kid instead of their "innocence". We don't live in an innocent world anymore. We live in a world where people will shoot up schools because they're angry.
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It's posts like yours that make me often start to get involved in a conversation but close the page without posting because having to deal with people who are accusatory and aggressive over everything is just tiresome. You can make your point without being a 'jerk' and people you are talking to may be more receptive to your stance on a subject. Yes, a school shooting is probably the scariest thing a kid could ever go through at school. I don't think replicating that feeling in children, especially elementary children, has any value. I feel like pretending there is a shooter with guy looking for them would be akin to having a fire drill and setting off a controlled burn of a classroom. I don't feel a live fire exercise is needed. if you do, then we simply have a difference of opinion.
 
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StoneFox

Member
I had these drills in school, even back in elementary. It's a lock-down drill where you make it seem like the classroom is empty, though we never had an actor roam the halls. In 6th grade, we had a real lock-down due to a bomb threat at a nearby high school, so at least it paid off I guess?
 
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NoblesseOblige

Banned
Apathy said:
Is it a relatively new drill to have like say within the last decade (or like since columbine)?
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I had them first in high school 10-14 years ago. I don't remember having them before that. Probably a growing response to things like columbine though I imagine. They're pretty blase drills these days.
 
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BamfMeat

Member
rbanke said:
It's posts like yours that make me often start to get involved in a conversation but close the page without posting because having to deal with people who are accusatory and aggressive over everything is just tiresome. You can make your point without being a 'jerk' and people you are talking to may be more receptive to your stance on a subject. Yes, a school shooting is probably the scariest thing a kid could ever go through at school. I don't think replicating that feeling in children, especially elementary children, has any value. I feel like pretending there is a shooter with guy looking for them would be akin to having a fire drill and setting off a controlled burn of a classroom. I don't feel a live fire exercise is needed. if you do, then we simply have a difference of opinion.
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OK then let me be more gentle with you.

There have been 161 different gun shootings (notice I didn't say "school shootings". Some did not have injuries) since 2013. There have been 351 mass shootings in general in 2015. Even if "the odds" are against you, does that mean you shouldn't be prepared? You're only guff with the situation is because there might have been a man in camo roaming the halls. That could be a potential situation that could (and has) actually happened. Should your kid be scared? He should be aware of what's going to happen and be able to respond accordingly, and that's not even just at school. And if you sat down with him and explained what happened, I'm assuming he'd be smart enough to understand the difference between an actor doing this and the real thing. You also don't know if the school had prepared the kids as well - what if the school had an assembly to tell the kids what was going to happen? Would you have such a hard time with it then?

You act like this (now hypothetical) "actor" roaming the halls is going to shatter the innocence of your child and he'll be forever scarred. Dude, kids are far more resilient than that. Also, people go batshit crazy all the time and shoot shit up. The fact that I have to point out that there were 161 different shootings on school properties since 2013 should be enough to cause mild alarm to you. Do I think your son needs to wear a bullet-proof vest at all times? Of course not. And that WOULD scare him. But all he has to do is turn on the news and see that shootings are happening all the time, everywhere. We have a serious gun violence issue in this country.

I'm also not one for "fear culture". For instance, I think kids should be able to play on a playground without constant supervision, yet people get arrested for not supervising their kids at all times. I think that's completely idiotic. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't tell my (nonexistent) kids "Hey, if a strange man comes up to you, RUN THE FUCK AWAY and get help." I think the woman that got bitched out for letting her kid take the subway by himself in NYC was fine, too. But she had prepared him for what could happen.

There are a lot of things that are even less risk than a kid going to school, yet we still prepare for it.

I'm also sorry that my first post sounded harsher than it should have. It just boggles my mind that anyone wouldn't want their kids to be prepared for as many situations as possible while still being able to live their lives. But I also have a hard time thinking a 5 year old is going to be traumatized by a man roaming the halls of a school looking in windows while they're explicitly told this is a drill and isn't real.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
rbanke said:
Update: This morning the other father talked to his daughter and he says he got it out of her that this was something she was playing on the playground and embellished. My son confirmed he had no idea what I was talking about when I asked him. I talked to the teacher just to follow up and she said they do in fact do lockdown drills but nothing like what was described. It was what many of you described, lock the doors and move the children away from the windows. This is something I am totally ok with, this addresses a wide array of potential dangerous situations. What I was not ok with is putting it in our/my kids mind that a school shooting is going to happen or is at all likely, it's not. I've already said this but I'll say it again, Don't get me wrong, there is no amount of acceptable shootings and I side with those who believes a huge problem, but that does not make it a likely occurrence, the statistics show that. Its that specific reason that parading around a pretend gunman and acting like they might get shot is bad.
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1) Just from my experience, these lockdown drills never made it seem like it's a likely occurence. Hell, the lockdown drills themselves were super rare. I remember like 3 or 4 through my four years in high school

2) "Its that specific reason that parading around a pretend gunman and acting like they might get shot is bad"
But no one acts like that, or treats it like that. Parading around a fake gunman? Where did you get that impression? If anything, the person roaming the halls is an officer making sure the drill was successful
 
bengraven

bengraven

Member
cpp_is_king said:
I felt the same way that someone even wondered what the ethnicity of the actor was in the first place. How is it that even a thought that enters someones mind? It was almost certainly just a random school administrator who volunteered to do it.
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I think I misread you as asking what the ethnicity was and I apologize for that. I was doing the "search a post" then "search that posts's post" game and lost.
 
L

L95

Member
When I was younger I thought these drills were really fun, everyone cramming into the closet/corner was unusual and funny.
 
rbanke

rbanke

Member
BamfMeat said:
OK then let me be more gentle with you.

There have been 161 different gun shootings (notice I didn't say "school shootings". Some did not have injuries) since 2013. There have been 351 mass shootings in general in 2015. Even if "the odds" are against you, does that mean you shouldn't be prepared? You're only guff with the situation is because there might have been a man in camo roaming the halls. That could be a potential situation that could (and has) actually happened. Should your kid be scared? He should be aware of what's going to happen and be able to respond accordingly, and that's not even just at school. And if you sat down with him and explained what happened, I'm assuming he'd be smart enough to understand the difference between an actor doing this and the real thing. You also don't know if the school had prepared the kids as well - what if the school had an assembly to tell the kids what was going to happen? Would you have such a hard time with it then?

You act like this (now hypothetical) "actor" roaming the halls is going to shatter the innocence of your child and he'll be forever scarred. Dude, kids are far more resilient than that. Also, people go batshit crazy all the time and shoot shit up. The fact that I have to point out that there were 161 different shootings on school properties since 2013 should be enough to cause mild alarm to you. Do I think your son needs to wear a bullet-proof vest at all times? Of course not. And that WOULD scare him. But all he has to do is turn on the news and see that shootings are happening all the time, everywhere. We have a serious gun violence issue in this country.

I'm also not one for "fear culture". For instance, I think kids should be able to play on a playground without constant supervision, yet people get arrested for not supervising their kids at all times. I think that's completely idiotic. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't tell my (nonexistent) kids "Hey, if a strange man comes up to you, RUN THE FUCK AWAY and get help." I think the woman that got bitched out for letting her kid take the subway by himself in NYC was fine, too. But she had prepared him for what could happen.

There are a lot of things that are even less risk than a kid going to school, yet we still prepare for it.

I'm also sorry that my first post sounded harsher than it should have. It just boggles my mind that anyone wouldn't want their kids to be prepared for as many situations as possible while still being able to live their lives. But I also have a hard time thinking a 5 year old is going to be traumatized by a man roaming the halls of a school looking in windows while they're explicitly told this is a drill and isn't real.
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I'm basically in agreement with you on most of your points outside of a pseudo simulation. I just feel like 1. It would be inappropriate to do something like that without notifying parents 2. Doesn't add anything valuable in telling kids about bad shit. They don't need to feel like they are going to die or be hurt to learn what they need to do if something was to happen. I don't think that's being a hover parent or being over protective.

More_Badass said:
2) "Its that specific reason that parading around a pretend gunman and acting like they might get shot is bad"
But no one acts like that, or treats it like that. Parading around a fake gunman? Where did you get that impression? If anything, the person roaming the halls is an officer making sure the drill was successful
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I got that impression from the original email. Kids know who police officers are, I wouldn't be concerned with a situation you described.
 
K

kendrid

Banned
My wife was at our kid's school today and they were having a lockdown drill. There were police with rifles in the hallways. My wife was scared by it so imagine what the kids think.

My son said he has never seen the cops since they are all hiding in a locked room. I am not sure what the purpose of the gun display is...
 
M

More_Badass

Member
kendrid said:
My wife was at our kid's school today and they were having a lockdown drill. There were police with rifles in the hallways. My wife was scared by it so imagine what the kids think.

My son said he has never seen the cops since they are all hiding in a locked room. I am not sure what the purpose of the gun display is...
Click to expand...
Now that's insane. Our lockdown drills, it was just the school officer and some faculty members checking the halls.
 
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