HS to simulate gun fire during emergency drill.....
High school to conduct safety drill with simulated gunfire
Some parents of students at Cary-Grove High School are upset with plans for simulated gunfire during an emergency-preparedness drill.
An Illinois high school's plans for an emergency-response drill complete with simulated gunfire has some parents on edge.
Cary-Grove High School in Cary, Ill., about 45 miles northwest of Chicago, has scheduled a "Code Red" lockdown drill for Wednesday. The drill includes the firing of blanks in the hallway so that students and teachers "might be able to recognize the sound and react quickly should an active gunman situation occur," the school said in a statement on its website.
The drill will be conducted with the help of Cary police officers, who will sweep the building.
Some parents wondered whether including the simulated gunfire was going too far.
"It's probably necessary to have the 'code red' drill but not really necessary to shoot the blanks in the hallway," parent Kassy Pinter told CBS Chicago.
"If you need to run a drill, you run a drill," parent Sharon Miller told WBBM Newsradio. "They run fire drills all the time, but they don't run up and down the hallway with a flamethrower."
School officials explained how the drill will be conducted:
"The drill will begin with a public address announcement about the lockdown. After staff have secured their rooms, Cary police and administrators will sweep the building to ensure all students made it into secure locations and assess any potential issues that may become apparent from the practice. Following this, a second PA announcement will be made informing students and staff that gunfire will be simulated so that they might be able to recognize the sound and react quickly, should an active gunman situation occur.
"Following the drill, a discussion will ensue between the students and their classroom teacher. We will utilize this feedback as a building and police department to assess our security and make any necessary adjustments to our building plan. Our sole purpose for utilizing the blanks is to fully prepare our students and staff."
School officials encouraged parents to discuss the drill with their children before and after it happens.
"These drills help our students and staff to be prepared should a crisis occur, but it may cause some students to have an emotional reaction. In those cases, a parent's voice may provide reassurances of the drill's importance," the school said. "Additionally, we have trained social workers on staff who can speak directly with students."
Schools across the country have been grappling with better ways to increase security and respond to emergencies in the wake of last month's mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. The massacre, carried out by 20-year-old Adam Lanza, left 20 first-graders and six adults dead. Police said Lanza also killed his mother at their Newtown home and later committed suicide as police approached the school.
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Quoting Woodbabe:Guns that shoot blanks (like a starting pistol) usually are incapable of shooting real bullets...blank firing guns look real but don't hold real bullets.
Quoting TruthSeeker.:Uh, no way in Hell my kid would be in school that day. A bunch of cops running around the school shooting blanks? A gun should not be discharged inside of a school AT ALL. I don't are if they are blanks. What if someone loads a weapon wrong. This is just irresponsible and going beyond what is necessary.
Thats what people thought when brandon lee died from a fatal gunshot wound, shot from a fake gun made to shoot blanks. Omeone had loaded a real bullet at some point, and it was lodged in the barrel.
All it takes is one idiot, and as we all know, mny police dont know how to properly handle thir weapons as they never o it fter merely qualifying with them. When even atf gents shoot themselves in the classroom, saying they are the only ones qualified to shoot said weapon and tht it isnt loaded, i dont know that id trust it either.
I also believe that in the case of a student being the shooter, it isnt smart to let ll students know of emergency plans. Thats counterproductive.
Generations before us lived in fear of being nuked at any minute. Each generation has their 'fear'. Society thrives on fear, unfortunately. I guarantee there are people out there profiting dearly from this new 'fear'.
Quoting punky3175:
I was talking to my 'train husband' this morning about this thread and clarified that I wouldn't necessarily want this kind of drill (gunfire) in an elementary school, I do believe even that age group needs a demonstration by the local police department. A shooting type demonstration with ear protection so they can also become familiar with the sound. But in these grade levels the focus should be on the teachers/adults in the so they can recognize the sound, remain calm and get the students and themselves to safety.
After Sandy Hook I asked my kids how they'd react. My 16 yo daughter didn't have a clue. My 13 year old son replied he'd follow the practiced plan.
Should our kids be forced to know how to react to this type of situation? No but the fact is that it is now a part of our society and will be a lifelong skill they will need but hopefully never have to use.
If its unladylike, fattening or fun, I'm in!
Quoting bellaamore:
Quoting Woodbabe:Guns that shoot blanks (like a starting pistol) usually are incapable of shooting real bullets...blank firing guns look real but don't hold real bullets.
Quoting TruthSeeker.:Uh, no way in Hell my kid would be in school that day. A bunch of cops running around the school shooting blanks? A gun should not be discharged inside of a school AT ALL. I don't are if they are blanks. What if someone loads a weapon wrong. This is just irresponsible and going beyond what is necessary.
Thats what people thought when brandon lee died from a fatal gunshot wound, shot from a fake gun made to shoot blanks. Omeone had loaded a real bullet at some point, and it was lodged in the barrel.
All it takes is one idiot, and as we all know, mny police dont know how to properly handle thir weapons as they never o it fter merely qualifying with them. When even atf gents shoot themselves in the classroom, saying they are the only ones qualified to shoot said weapon and tht it isnt loaded, i dont know that id trust it either.
I also believe that in the case of a student being the shooter, it isnt smart to let ll students know of emergency plans. Thats counterproductive.
Are you typing on a phone or what? Trying to understand you...
If its unladylike, fattening or fun, I'm in!
Quoting bellaamore:
Quoting Woodbabe:Guns that shoot blanks (like a starting pistol) usually are incapable of shooting real bullets...blank firing guns look real but don't hold real bullets.
Quoting TruthSeeker.:Uh, no way in Hell my kid would be in school that day. A bunch of cops running around the school shooting blanks? A gun should not be discharged inside of a school AT ALL. I don't are if they are blanks. What if someone loads a weapon wrong. This is just irresponsible and going beyond what is necessary.
Thats what people thought when brandon lee died from a fatal gunshot wound, shot from a fake gun made to shoot blanks. Omeone had loaded a real bullet at some point, and it was lodged in the barrel.
All it takes is one idiot, and as we all know, mny police dont know how to properly handle thir weapons as they never o it fter merely qualifying with them. When even atf gents shoot themselves in the classroom, saying they are the only ones qualified to shoot said weapon and tht it isnt loaded, i dont know that id trust it either.
I also believe that in the case of a student being the shooter, it isnt smart to let ll students know of emergency plans. Thats counterproductive.
Quoting Woodbabe:Generations before us lived in fear of being nuked at any minute. Each generation has their 'fear'. Society thrives on fear, unfortunately. I guarantee there are people out there profiting dearly from this new 'fear'.
Quoting punky3175:
I was talking to my 'train husband' this morning about this thread and clarified that I wouldn't necessarily want this kind of drill (gunfire) in an elementary school, I do believe even that age group needs a demonstration by the local police department. A shooting type demonstration with ear protection so they can also become familiar with the sound. But in these grade levels the focus should be on the teachers/adults in the so they can recognize the sound, remain calm and get the students and themselves to safety.
After Sandy Hook I asked my kids how they'd react. My 16 yo daughter didn't have a clue. My 13 year old son replied he'd follow the practiced plan.
Should our kids be forced to know how to react to this type of situation? No but the fact is that it is now a part of our society and will be a lifelong skill they will need but hopefully never have to use.
Nicely said. I agree.
Quoting punky3175:
Ok - I'm going to be the oddball and say I like the idea. I think the school is handling it very well. Kids already practice how to react in such a situation but if they don't know what gunfire sounds like they won't be able to actually USE what they've been taught. I was active duty for 6 years and have fired guns personally (not often) and I don't know what gunfire sounds like without hearing protection.
I hate the idea this is necessary but I'd rather my kids be prepared and react accordingly than freeze up in a real life situation and not able to get somewhere safe. I understand what Sisteract was saying but there's no way to prevent a single student using what they learn to their advantage. You have to look out for the whole.
If they were going to have this drill with blanks being fired and not warn everyone, then I'd be pissed. But they're going to do the drill, then announce the firing so everyone knows exactly what's happening.
ETA: if it were elementary or middle school I would have an issue with it, but this is high school and as horrible and tragic as it is, knowing how to react to an active shooter situation is a life skill everyone needs in our society.
I'm sure they will also be carrying their service revolvers or pistols. What if they get them mixed up?
Quoting Woodbabe:
So if the worst case nightmare came true at your child's school, you prefer screaming chaos to any kind of understood, practiced emergency escape/coping plan? I guess I see it as empowering a child to know they have a plan, and that's preferable to leaving a child cowering in tears/fear on the ground in case of an emergency. I'm pretty sure the teacher can't pick up and carry 30 students to safety.
Quoting cjsbmom:
Oh FFS, these are KIDS, not the military. They shouldn't have to be trained to do either.
Quoting momtimesx4:
train like you fight
i think its a good idea, they did something similar with the police at my dd's school, there was no simulated gunfire, but they had an office walk through the halls with a mask on to see if he could get any access to the classrooms once the drill was in effect. They did that witht he fire marshals at my step moms school yesterday too. Both schools passed with a 100%
They need to learn to act quickly in this type of situation. Simulated gunfire will help them react. though instead of shooting blanks in the hallway maybe have it come over the pa system.
Quoting Bieg9093:I think the cons outweigh the pros on this one.
We homeschool, so it doesnt really affect us.
I think its stupid. but im almost at the point to where i just dont give a shit what the schools do.
Is Yoga a religion?
- cjsbmom
on Jan. 29, 2013 at 9:02 PM