What It's Like Inside a School Shooting Drill

ABC News
15 Nov 201408:23
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThe video script addresses the controversial issue of active shooter drills in schools, aiming to prepare students and teachers for potential threats. It highlights a drill at Jewett Middle School in Tampa, Florida, where unannounced police presence with drawn weapons caused panic among students and parents, leading to criticism and an apology from the school. The script also discusses nationwide practices, including lockdown drills and more intense training sessions for teachers. It features a former SWAT team member teaching teachers to recognize opportunities to disarm a shooter and the debate over whether such drills are beneficial or could potentially put students in greater danger. The segment concludes with a reflection on the balance between preparation and fear, questioning the long-term psychological impact on students.

Takeaways
  • 🚨 Schools are conducting realistic active shooter drills to prepare for potential threats, which can be traumatic for students and staff.
  • 👮‍♂️ In some cases, police officers participate in these drills, adding to the realism but also causing fear and confusion.
  • 📢 Communication is key; a lack of warning before a drill can lead to panic among parents and students, as seen at Jewett Middle School.
  • 🤔 There's a debate on the effectiveness and potential harm of these drills, with concerns about causing unnecessary fear and trauma.
  • 🛡️ Lockdown drills are becoming as common as fire drills in U.S. schools, with some including fake blood and volunteers playing dead to enhance realism.
  • 🏫 Teachers are receiving training on how to recognize when a shooter is reloading and how to use defense tactics to potentially disarm them.
  • 🎯 Some educators, like Holly Carpenter, a Columbine graduate, strongly support these drills due to personal experiences and a desire to protect students.
  • 🤷‍♀️ Not all teachers agree with the approach, with some arguing that it's traumatizing and that we should focus on preventing violence rather than rehearsing for it.
  • 💡 New training methods for teachers involve learning how to take down a shooter, with the aim of providing them with options beyond evacuation or barricading.
  • 🤝 Trainers encourage teachers to involve students, like the football team, in these defense strategies, asking them to potentially act as heroes.
  • 🧐 The effectiveness of these drills and trainings is questioned, with concerns about whether they truly protect or put people in greater danger.
Q & A

  • What is the purpose of active shooter drills in schools?

    -The purpose of active shooter drills in schools is to prepare students and teachers for the potential threat of an armed intruder, ensuring they know how to respond and potentially save lives.

  • What was the issue with the drill conducted at Jewett Middle School in Tampa, Florida?

    -The issue with the drill at Jewett Middle School was that it was conducted without warning, causing panic among students and parents who thought it was a real active shooter situation.

  • How did the school's response to the drill at Jewett Middle School affect parents and students?

    -The school's response led to parents and students experiencing fear and panic, as they believed there was a real threat. Some parents rushed to the school, and students sent frantic texts to their parents.

  • What changes has the local police chief suggested for future drills after the incident at Jewett Middle School?

    -The local police chief has suggested that officers will not use weapons in future drills to avoid causing unnecessary fear, although unannounced lockdowns will continue.

  • How frequent have active shooter incidents been in the US since Columbine?

    -Since Columbine 15 years ago, there have been more than 160 active shooter incidents in the US, averaging to about one per month.

  • What methods are used to make active shooter drills more realistic in some school districts?

    -Some school districts use methods such as covering students in fake blood, recruiting volunteers to play dead in hallways, and conducting drills without warning to make the drills more realistic.

  • What is the general procedure during a lockdown drill in schools?

    -During a lockdown drill, teachers lock the doors, pull down shades, and instruct everyone to keep quiet. Students usually huddle quietly under the teacher's desk.

  • How does Holly Carpenter, a teacher and a graduate of Columbine High School, view the drills?

    -Holly Carpenter views the drills as a necessary part of preparing students for potential threats. She takes them personally due to her experience at Columbine and believes in the importance of these drills.

  • What kind of training did the teachers at Sky View Academy receive from Jody Don, a former SWAT team member?

    -The teachers at Sky View Academy received training on how to recognize when a shooter is reloading, defense tactics, and when to approach and potentially disarm an active shooter.

  • What concerns do some teachers have about conducting active shooter drills at schools?

    -Some teachers, like the pre-K teacher from Virginia who wrote an op-ed, are concerned that these drills are traumatizing students and silencing a generation, and they argue that it's time to stop rehearsing deaths and start advocating for change.

  • How does Jody Don address the concern that teachers without proper training might be put in danger during active shooter situations?

    -Jody Don encourages teachers to gain some basic knowledge and skills to make better decisions in a split second when faced with an active shooter, rather than advocating for teachers to engage in dangerous confrontations without proper training.

Outlines
00:00
🏫 School Shooter Drills: Balancing Preparation and Fear

This paragraph discusses the controversial issue of conducting realistic active shooter drills in schools to prepare students and teachers for potential threats. The dilemma is how to effectively train without causing unnecessary fear and trauma. The narrative includes an incident at Jewett Middle School in Tampa, Florida, where an unannounced drill with armed police officers caused panic among students and parents. The school later apologized, and the local police chief decided against using weapons in future drills. The paragraph also touches on the frequency of such drills across the U.S., with some schools even employing tactics like using fake blood and having volunteers play dead. The goal is to make the drills as realistic as possible to prepare for the worst-case scenario, but there is a debate about the psychological impact on students and whether such measures are truly effective.

05:02
🛡️ Controversy Over Active Shooter Training Methods

The second paragraph delves into the debate surrounding the methods used for active shooter training in schools. It features a pre-K teacher from Virginia who wrote an op-ed criticizing the approach, arguing that it silences and terrifies students and staff. The narrative then shifts to a training session led by Jody Don, a former SWAT team member, where teachers are taught how to recognize when a shooter is reloading and how to use defense tactics. The training is described as boisterous and empowering for some teachers, like Holly Carpenter, who sees it as a personal mission due to her connection to the Columbine tragedy. However, the effectiveness and safety of these methods are questioned, with concerns about whether they truly protect individuals or put them in greater danger. The paragraph concludes with a training exercise where teachers are given items to throw at an active shooter, challenging the traditional Duck and Cover approach. The effectiveness of such tactics in a real-life situation with bullets and children present is acknowledged as uncertain.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡Active Shooter Drill
An active shooter drill is a simulated emergency response exercise designed to prepare individuals for the possibility of an armed intruder on a campus. In the video, such drills are portrayed as both necessary and controversial, with the aim of balancing preparedness with the potential for causing fear and trauma among students and staff. The script describes a drill at Jewett Middle School that was conducted without warning, leading to panic among students and parents.
💡Trauma
Trauma refers to the deeply distressing or disturbing emotional response caused by experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. In the context of the video, trauma is associated with the intense fear and panic that can be induced by active shooter drills, especially when conducted without warning. The script mentions that even though the drills are just practice, the emotional impact on participants can be very real and potentially harmful.
💡Lockdown Drills
Lockdown drills are safety exercises where individuals are trained to secure a premises against an immediate threat, such as an active shooter. The script indicates that these drills have become as common as fire drills in many U.S. schools, with the intention of ensuring that students and staff know how to respond in a crisis.
💡Columbine
Columbine refers to the Columbine High School massacre that occurred in 1999, which is often cited as a turning point in discussions about school safety and the need for active shooter preparedness. The video mentions Columbine to highlight the ongoing concern for school safety and the impact it has had on shaping current practices, such as lockdown drills.
💡Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook refers to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, another tragic event that underscored the vulnerability of schools to violent incidents. The script uses Sandy Hook as an example to emphasize that even the youngest children are not immune to the threat of an active shooter, reinforcing the rationale behind conducting drills.
💡Duck and Cover
Duck and Cover is a term that originated from the Cold War era, instructing people to duck and cover under desks or tables in the event of a nuclear attack. In the video, it is used metaphorically to describe the current lockdown procedures, where students are told to hide and remain quiet, highlighting the historical evolution of safety drills.
💡SWAT Team
A SWAT team, which stands for Special Weapons and Tactics team, is a law enforcement unit that is trained to handle high-risk situations, including active shooter scenarios. The script mentions a former SWAT team member, Jody Don, who is now involved in training teachers to respond to active shooter situations.
💡Reload
To reload, in the context of firearms, means to insert a new magazine or ammunition into a gun. The script describes a training session where teachers are taught to recognize when a shooter is reloading as a potential opportunity to intervene, indicating a more proactive approach to active shooter situations.
💡Defense Tactics
Defense tactics refer to the methods and techniques used to protect oneself or others from harm. In the video, teachers are being trained in defense tactics with the aim of equipping them with the skills to potentially neutralize a threat during an active shooter incident.
💡Hero
A hero is typically defined as a person who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. The script discusses the idea of teachers and students potentially becoming heroes by taking action during an active shooter situation, although it also raises questions about the risks and responsibilities associated with this.
💡Evacuation
Evacuation refers to the process of removing people from a dangerous area to a safer location. In the context of the video, evacuation is one of the options discussed during training for dealing with an active shooter, suggesting that there are multiple strategies that can be employed depending on the circumstances.
Highlights

The challenge of balancing preparation for a school shooter with causing unnecessary fear among students and teachers.

Realistic drills can be traumatic, even if they are just practice.

Parents and students in Tampa, Florida, reported a drill that was too realistic and frightening.

The school in Tampa apologized for the drill and the local police chief stated future drills will not include weapons.

Lockdown drills are becoming as common as fire drills in the US, with some schools even using fake blood and volunteers to simulate death.

The frequency of active shooter incidents in the US, averaging one per month since the Columbine incident 15 years ago.

Teachers and students in Colorado are practicing drills to prepare for potential active shooter scenarios.

Holly Carpenter, a teacher and Columbine graduate, discusses the emotional impact of these drills and her commitment to them.

New active shooter training for teachers in Colorado, teaching them to recognize when a shooter is reloading and how to defend themselves.

A former SWAT team member, Jody Don, teaches teachers how to take down a shooter in a realistic training environment.

Some teachers oppose the staging of active shooter drills, arguing they silence and terrify a generation of schoolchildren.

Jody Don addresses the criticism that teachers lack the training to take down a shooter and the potential risks involved.

The training emphasizes providing teachers with knowledge and options during a crisis, rather than advocating for heroic actions without preparation.

Teachers are encouraged to use everyday objects as potential weapons during an active shooter situation.

The question of whether these drills truly protect people or put them in greater danger is raised.

The lasting impression and potential life-saving impact of these drills on students and teachers.

Transcripts

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School SafetyActive ShooterDrillsTraumaPreparationColumbineLockdownEducationSecurityMental Health