My kid's school has a shooter drill tomorrow.

[litebright]

I got a huge pit in my stomach when she told me this morning. 

They're definitely prepping the kids thoroughly. She was all "guess what is going to happen tomorrow? The police are going to come to my school and pretend to be bad guys and we have to go to the library and not make a peep." 

I know it's good that they're doing this, and that she understands what's going to happen and hopefully will retain an idea of what to do in an emergency, but UGH. I just hate, hate, HATE that we're at a point where this is necessary. And Columbine is one of the schools in our district, so they're super vigilant and aware. It also gives me the heebie-jeebies to think of my kid holed up in the school library, where so many kids died at Columbine. I'm sure they made the decisions about where the kids should go carefully, I just ... I can't bear to think about the what-ifs. 

We did get a heads-up in the newsletter that this would be happening sometime this month, along with an evacuation drill in January. It just makes me so sad and angry and anxious. 

[blueshirt2003]

It's so sad but an evil necessary.

[revolution]

It is sad that the kids have to know about this and practice it now. It really sucks.

I got all kinds of choked up when DD came home from school last month and started telling me about people talking through the ceiling (speakers - lol) and telling them code blue and code red and code orange. I asked her what they were and one was for bad weather and she told me what they did. And then I asked about the next code and she told me it meant there was a really bad man in the building. I seriously choked up. Then she told me what they had to do if that happened. Gah. I hate that she has to practice this and know about this.

[Kit]

Oct 2, 2013 10:42:42 GMT -5 puddleofgrace said:

They do these at my kids daycare. It's a good thing, but heartbreaking.

I wanted to cry seeing my 4 year old lining up her baby dolls and laying on top of them "watching for feet" when she reenacted the drill at home. Kids should not have to worry about this shit.

That is so, so sad!

It is good that they're preparing the kids though, but super sad that it has to come to this.  

[thinkofthesoldiers]

I hate that we have to live like this, but I'm going to add that you need to prepare your kid for what to do if s/he isn't with you and sees someone with a gun or hears shots. After the shooting in the theater, we have started teaching the kids to get into tiny balls and hide when they see someone with a gun and not to move until a police officer (or the like) or H or me come and get them. I have to try really hard not to cry when we go over this with them because it is so sad, but in this day and age it is a necessary thing. We just view doing it like preparing them for a house fire, tornado, whatever.

[roxysoxy]

DD had her first of these in kindergarten last year.  It made me so sad, but I know these kinds of drills are necessary. 

[game blouses]

When we did these at the high school, I'd go through the part of the drill where I had to open the door and lock it (they don't lock from the inside). The boys would get all upset because I could potentially get hurt sticking my head out in the hall for a second. They reassured me that if there was a shooting, they'd protect me. I definitely cried, it was so sweet and so sad.

[bluetopaz]

Oh wow. We had one of these last month, but we held it on a teacher duty day when the kids weren't on campus (which doesn't make a lot of sense, because they need to know what to do too).

[weelass24]

My mother used to be the person checking the school during the lockdown drills to make sure all the doors were locked and everyone was quiet. She said they were really good about it though. She never heard a peep.

Heartbreaking.

[amberlyrose]

I hate this

[Deleted]

It makes me so sad that this is necessary in my children's lives.

[Redpoppy]

Our town just built a new high school so the old one is being torn down. They held full simulations in the old one over the summer for the state SWAT team including shooting blanks, tearing down doors, full body makeup, etc. It was a rare opportunity to do whatever was needed in a real life scenario.

They ended up doing reversing 911 calls a few times leading up to it so people knew it was a drill when they heard gunshots.

DS hasn't mentioned these kinds of drills, just fire drills.

[Redpoppy]

Oct 2, 2013 11:26:21 GMT -5 Lucy Honeychurch said:

KHC's school does this too. They turn off the lights and lock the classroom doors and hide in a back corner and have to stay absolutely silent. It's terrifying.

I will, however, admit that I like that his classroom is in the back of the school, because there is less chance a shooter would make it that far. I get nervous when I think about his classroom being nearest to the front doors.

DS's is the first one from the office. The closeness was the first thing that came to my mind when I saw it, not "my baby's first classroom" but "this is the easiest for a bad guy to get into".

[litebright]

The other thing that gets me is, I responded by basically saying, "well, make sure you pay attention so you know what to do if a bad guy comes to your school."

And she was like, "Oh, MAMA. It's just pretend."

I tried to tell her that someday it could be a real bad guy who comes, but then just settled for telling her to pay close attention so she knows what to do "in an emergency."

She has no idea. No idea what could happen. I'm glad she doesn't, but I'm not sure how to convey the seriousness without scaring her. It is terrifying to think of my five-YO with ASD in the middle of something like Newtown.