Teachers stage fake gun attack on kids

[Dumpy Dooby]

http://www.charlotte.com/118/story/120829.html

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. --
Staff members of an elementary school staged a fictitious gun attack on students during a class trip, telling them it was not a drill as the children cried and hid under tables.

The mock attack Thursday night was intended as a learning experience and lasted five minutes during the weeklong trip to a state park, said Scales Elementary School Assistant Principal Don Bartch, who led the trip.

"We got together and discussed what we would have done in a real situation," he said.

But parents of the sixth-grade students were outraged.

"The children were in that room in the dark, begging for their lives, because they thought there was someone with a gun after them," said Brandy Cole, whose son went on the trip.

Some parents said they were upset by the staff's poor judgment in light of the April 16 shootings at Virginia Tech that left 33 students and professors dead, including the gunman.

During the last night of the trip, staff members convinced the 69 students that there was a gunman on the loose. They were told to lie on the floor or hide underneath tables and stay quiet. A teacher, disguised in a hooded sweat shirt, even pulled on locked door.

After the lights went out, about 20 kids started to cry, 11-year-old Shay Naylor said.

"I was like, 'Oh My God,' " she said. "At first I thought I was going to die. We flipped out."

Principal Catherine Stephens declined to say whether the staff members involved would face disciplinary action, but said the situation "involved poor judgment."

Okay, so these adults all gathered around. They pondered amongst themselves what it would be like if there was an attacker with a gun around the kids. Then one of these adults got the great idea to actually tell the kids that they're being attacked. I know I'm just repeating what was written in the article, but the event is just so fucking amazing that it bears repeating. I swear to fucking shit, if they did this to my kids, I would be at that school breaking some noses. No way in Hell that I would ever let a trusted adult terrorize my kid like that. These people should be in jail.

Public education at its finest.

[Donkey®]

First off, yes, they are stupid. Second, using this singular event to point out "public education at it's finest" really does the system a dis-service. It's ONE incident and it's the first time i've heard of something so stupid in my life. This could have happened at a private school as easily as a public school. Lastly, it wasn't even AT school...it was on a field trip. Obviously the idiots on that trip were just living up to their moniker. Idiots.

[Dumpy Dooby]

Originally Posted by Donkey®

First off, yes, they are stupid. Second, using this singular event to point out "public education at it's finest" really does the system a dis-service. It's ONE incident and it's the first time i've heard of something so stupid in my life. This could have happened at a private school as easily as a public school. Lastly, it wasn't even AT school...it was on a field trip. Obviously the idiots on that trip were just living up to their moniker. Idiots.

This would have never happened at a private school. Private schools have to compete with each other for customers. The employees of a business that is heavily focused on competition don't do things that might be bad for business unless they have no regard for their job. In this case, the teachers had no regard for their job, but they can do that because they have a unionized monopoly ensuring that their employer will consistently get customers and thereby issuing the same paychecks for the teachers, regardless of how stupid they are.

[Kytro]

Originally Posted by Dumpy Dooby

This would have never happened at a private school.

Perhaps, perhaps not.

I went to a catholic private school. In the camps we went to, for the last 2 years of school thw following happened:

1) A teacher and student staged an argument, basically causing a massive split

2) Students were assigneed a project in groups: draw the perfect male or female (groups were male / female). Other students were asked to judge the work, and they did so by destroying the posters (this was at the teachers' request).

3) Students were split into 2 groups, one smaller waited outside whil the larger was the auidence. The smaller group had one person enter at a time and help two other students not getting along have a "date" - they basically had to tell them what position to assume. Once that was done, they had to replace one of the couple.

Not exactly gun threats, but a similar concept

[Dumpy Dooby]

Originally Posted by Kytro

Not exactly gun threats, but a similar concept

No, not a similar concept in the slightest. These teachers were STAGING A GUN THREAT! They literally had children - YOUNG CHILDREN - afraid for their lives.

I'm sorry, but your scenarios certainly aren't in the same ballpark; moreover, they're not even the same sport.


I will concede, however, that other similar scenarios could happen in private schools. Catholic schools are well known for using terror to scare children into being good little Catholic boys and girls. I retract my statement as being applicable to all private schools. It's genuinely applicable to secular private schools, and most religious private schools. There are, however, a few religious schools that I could see exercising such distasteful tactics.

[avsp]

duck & cover?
fire drill?
Presumably kids in Kansas get tornado drill training?


Would it be possible at all to conducts such a drill in an acceptable manner?

Is it a good idea to have a formal protocol for coping with 'spree killing' incidents & to train all involved in their role in it? Even if the kids are only 5-11 years old?

[kinggovernor]

[7960]

Originally Posted by Donkey®

First off, yes, they are stupid. Second, using this singular event to point out "public education at it's finest" really does the system a dis-service. It's ONE incident and it's the first time i've heard of something so stupid in my life. This could have happened at a private school as easily as a public school.

werd

This is no more an indicator of "public education" than what happens at one private school is an indicator of all private schools.

[ballz2wallz]

They should all be fired.

[lew]

wow

[Kytro]

Originally Posted by Dumpy Dooby

No, not a similar concept in the slightest. These teachers were STAGING A GUN THREAT! They literally had children - YOUNG CHILDREN - afraid for their lives.

I'm sorry, but your scenarios certainly aren't in the same ballpark; moreover, they're not even the same sport.

Still smilar concepts, stressing people out and causing emotional responses. Yes scaring people that much is far, far more extreme, but that does not mean there are no parallels

Originally Posted by Dumpy Dooby

I will concede, however, that other similar scenarios could happen in private schools. Catholic schools are well known for using terror to scare children into being good little Catholic boys and girls. I retract my statement as being applicable to all private schools. It's genuinely applicable to secular private schools, and most religious private schools. There are, however, a few religious schools that I could see exercising such distasteful tactics.

I agree, few schools would. It seems like groupthink won that day.

[imind]

legitimate questions, all of them...

Originally Posted by avsp

duck & cover?
fire drill?
Presumably kids in Kansas get tornado drill training?

sure but these were never conducted by setting fire outside the door, etc.

Would it be possible at all to conducts such a drill in an acceptable manner?

sure, the same way they were handled above, without the pseudo-reality of it actually happening.

Is it a good idea to have a formal protocol for coping with 'spree killing' incidents & to train all involved in their role in it? Even if the kids are only 5-11 years old?

absolutely, but i would imagine, again, that its possible to do so without having them truly fear for their lives.

[Linzyhop]

my sister lives in murfreesboro and she never even told me about this.....

wow.

stupid stupid stupid. i can't believe they did this. what if one of the kids tried to be a hero and did something and someone, kid/adult, got hurt or lost their life????

man how fucking stupid.

fire them all and hope to god the parents don't sue the system for millions.

[ballz2wallz]

Originally Posted by Linzyhop

my sister lives in murfreesboro and she never even told me about this.....

She does? I used to live down yonder. Is she hot? Nudez?

[Linzyhop]

Originally Posted by ballz2wallz

She does? I used to live down yonder. Is she hot? Nudez?

she's ten years older than I am, conservative and christian, so basically opposite of me. you'd make an awesome couple, that is, if you lived through the first night...... she'd break you in half.

[Linzyhop]

Originally Posted by Linzyhop

my sister lives near murfreesboro (in christiana) and she never even told me about this.....

edit.....

[7960]

Originally Posted by Linzyhop

she's ten years older than I am, conservative and christian, so basically opposite of me. you'd make an awesome couple, that is, if you lived through the first night...... she'd break you in half.

I am SO turned on right now

[Linzyhop]

Originally Posted by 7960

I am SO turned on right now

she also sings country music and her boyfriend is a famous (or relatively well known) biker blues singer/guitarist.....

[Publius]

When I have kids if a teacher ever does anything like this to my child, I'll probably have to go to jail for assault.

[kinggovernor]

I have been thinking about this all day, seriously wtf were they thinking. x11ty billion

they should all be fired, criminally charged and never allowed in the classroom again
the students should be compensated $$$$


what the hell ever happened to just teaching kids to read at school, these fucking idiots are teachers not security experts