Recently, President Barack Obama addressed the country after a shooting at Umpqua Community College, stating that mass shootings have become routine in our country. The following week, shootings happened at two other schools and just this past week, a shooting happened at a zombie event in Florida. These recent shootings have sparked a debate among officials as to the safety precautions set in place at their schools.
This week, news broke of a Washington school that practiced a very realistic active shooter drill. This drill took place at Tahoma Junior High. The drill involved a shadowy figure pretending to be a disgruntled parent who walked into a classroom and started shooting. Students and faculty both actively participated in the drill with some students playing victims were seen covered in fake blood.
School faculty and officials said the drill is an important measure to have students be aware of what could happen. However, such a drill leads us to question whether it was absolutely necessary to put these children through such a traumatic event, even if it was all staged.
With the nation looking heavily into more gun control and oppositions coming from both sides, schools are looking for ways to implement the reality of a possible shooter coming into their schools. Events like Sandy Hook have left us terrified of the reality that mass shootings have become common in our society. To push children as far as having an active shooter drill in schools is upsetting.
Schools are supposed to be a place of safety where students go to learn, but now they have become a source of hatred and a marker for those seeking to relieve their anger by shooting people. Yes we have seen the tragedy of many who have been caught in mass shootings at schools, but to have children participate in something so realistic seems a bit too much. There should be more measures taken to teach students what to do in the case that an active shooter attacked their school, but I don’t agree with putting young students in the presence of something so realistic.
It comes far too close to home when you’re watching your friends get “shot” and see them walking around the next day. This kind of drill might prepare students for the possibility of a future attack, but psychologically it can take a toll on children who still may not fully understand what mass shootings are or the effect they can have.
The other key points that aren’t totally made clear are how much a drill like this costs the school district or whether after this drill students experience psychological disengagement in the world. There are many ways that schools can handle mass shootings and explain that to students, but a drill like this can go too far in some instances. I just don’t think there is really anything we can do to fully prepare ourselves for an active shooter. We just have to understand that this happens and prepare in ways that won’t be harmful to a student’s mindset.
