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active-shooter drills at
school
by jannean dixon ? m ommy, all of my friends at
school
don?t fit in the closet in our classroom.? kate said this as such an off hand comment that i almost missed it. when i asked why everyone was trying to fit into the closet, the answer occurred to me even as she was explaining. ?in case a bad guy comes to our
school
and wants to hurt us.? emotions hit me like waves. i was angry that my innocent little five year old had to practice smushing into a closet at what is supposed to be a safe place for
kids
, her kindergarten classroom. then, i was upset that the
school
had not communicated this drill to the parents so that i could have prepared her in my own way. then, i was grateful for the
school
and teachers who would risk everything to save the children in their care. according to the world health organization (who), one billion children worldwide will face violence this year. the who document,
school
-based violence prevention , identifies
school
s as a leading environment for conducting violence prevention efforts. why are these drills important? do you know how many
school
shootings have occurred so far this year? i didn?t. as of this publication, there have been 14
school
shootings with injuries or deaths in 2019, according to education week. in 2018, there were 24
school
shootings which resulted in 79 people being injured and the death of 35. ?hearing about
school
shootings is so common now. i?m not sure if
kids
are just desensitized to it,? comments local high
school
teacher scarlett t. ?it?s interesting that government buildings and airports are often more protected than where our
kids
are every day. as a teacher, i am keenly aware that it could also happen to us. it?s something teachers definitely think about.? teachers do struggle with the realities of today?s classrooms. emily z. shares, ?wording is very carefully chosen. it?s a calm setting where we practice in the classroom as a lockdown drill.? she also shares her fears. ?people tend to not realize or notice or know that today?s classrooms are jam packed, 34
kids
, sometimes more. i?d take a bullet for any child, any time, any
school
, and without a moment?s hesitation. that?s not the part i struggle with...that?s the easy part. ?today?s classrooms are much fuller than in the past, and that is a huge responsibility on one person for all of those tiny lives. en loco parentis is a latin phrase i learned early on in college. it means ?in place of the parent.? during each
school
day, i am expected to care for children with the amount of love and effort that any mother would show her child. that?s a lot when you realize that 34
students
are in there! it?s a huge commitment, but the absolute most rewarding job, so i wanted to make sure i was doing all that i could,? she says. emily then went on to explain that she went and got additional training to empower herself to empower and protect her
students
. what are our
kids
experiencing? there are so many factors that affect how
students
are impacted by practicing active-
school
shooter drills. mental health counselor tara dixon shares, ?
students
come to
school
with a variety of experiences that may affect how they perceive these drills.
students
who come from a violent home or community environment may respond differently 4 8 b r p a r e n t s . c o m | a u g u s t 2 0 1 9
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