Teachers stage fake gun attack on 6th grade students.

What were they thinking?


Teachers Stage Fake Gun Attack on Kids
AP
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (May 14) - 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."

Re: Teachers stage fake gun attack on 6th grade students.

Re: Teachers stage fake gun attack on 6th grade students.

Those people should never be allowed to teach again.

Re: Teachers stage fake gun attack on 6th grade students.

Unbelievable!

Re: Teachers stage fake gun attack on 6th grade students.

I think that its a good idea to have discussions with the kids about what to do if an attack ever occured inside or ever outside of school....but to actually stage this without the parents permission and knowledge seems very irresponsible to me.

If they were so intent on an actual role play then parents should have been informed prior to, and should have had the option to with draw their child from participation. Parents also should have been informed prior so that they could be prepared to properly discuss this matter with their children before and afterwards.

As a parent...I don't think that I would want my child to participate in this role play....however, I would like to know what my children would do in this scenerio...I would hope and pray that they would be brave enough to NOT attempt to be the hero and that they would cooperate with the gunman.

All in all...not really the best idea in the world...these teachers went about it all wrong...but I do understand that their intentions were good...and their plan should have been brought before the parents prior to the role play taking place.

Re: Teachers stage fake gun attack on 6th grade students.

Posted by Kara

Those people should never be allowed to teach again.

Re: Teachers stage fake gun attack on 6th grade students.

i can't beleive this!! they scared those kids to death!! i work at a school, and i definitely agree that the kids need to be prepared for these types of situations. but, there are MUCH better ways to do that!
at my district, we have "code C" drills. the kids are told at the beginning of the school year what to do if "Code C" is ever called over the loudspeaker. ( hide under desks or tables, stay quiet, teacher make sure door is locked from the outside and close all blinds and turn lights off). the police always come during these drills and walk around checking all the doors and making sure everyone is doing what they are supposed to be doing. so, this way the kids are prepared in case something happens but its not as "scary" as what happened to these kids....

Re: Teachers stage fake gun attack on 6th grade students.

Posted by Kara

Those people should never be allowed to teach again.

Re: Teachers stage fake gun attack on 6th grade students.

Re: Teachers stage fake gun attack on 6th grade students.

What were they thinking? Better yet, I guess they weren't thinking at all!!!

Re: Teachers stage fake gun attack on 6th grade students.

I agree that they shouldn't be allowed to teach again. Not one of those teachers were thinking at ALL...you don't scare 6th graders to death like that. How tramautizing.

At 29 years old, if someone pulled a "mock gun attack" on me I prob woudln't sleep for a few nights.

They need to be STRONGLY reprimanded. What jerks!

Re: Teachers stage fake gun attack on 6th grade students.

Posted by lmnscc

Posted by Kara

Those people should never be allowed to teach again.

I'm not sure what the point of this lesson was supposed to be and definitely was poor judgement, but to say they should never be allowed to teach again, give me a break. We are all humans and make mistakes. Nobody was hurt. I'm sure they will have to explain why they did this to higher-ups and they will deal with it. I think you are being too harsh.

Re: Teachers stage fake gun attack on 6th grade students.

That is DISGUSTING W T F is wrong with people

Re: Teachers stage fake gun attack on 6th grade students.

I actually teared up reading this. Those poor children. Those teachers need to be taken out of that school and away from teaching all together. W T F is wrong with people???

Re: Teachers stage fake gun attack on 6th grade students.

That's terrible.

Re: Teachers stage fake gun attack on 6th grade students.

...and isn't it amazing how we have an island full of teachers that can't find teaching jobs here??? When there's people like THIS teaching in the country!!!

Re: Teachers stage fake gun attack on 6th grade students.

these teachers need to be FIRED!!!!!

Re: Teachers stage fake gun attack on 6th grade students.

Posted by lmnscc

Posted by Kara

Those people should never be allowed to teach again.

I'm not sure what the point of this lesson was supposed to be and definitely was poor judgement, but to say they should never be allowed to teach again, give me a break. We are all humans and make mistakes. Nobody was hurt. I'm sure they will have to explain why they did this to higher-ups and they will deal with it. I think you are being too harsh.

Message edited 5/14/2007 12:14:15 PM.

Re: Teachers stage fake gun attack on 6th grade students.

That is horrible!!!