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I've viewed the posts on the website and have a few comments myself. As a teacher, I would have been extremely upset had I had to endure a drill such as the one posted. I cannot believe that the administration would have to go to such extremes to train their teachers as to what to do in such an event. Shooting blanks at the ceiling... really? The officer couldn't have simply said, "This is a drill and now you're dead?" What if the teacher with the heart problem had had a heart attack? What then? Oops... we made a mistake?
I've taught at two extremely different schools with two extremely different student populations. One had over 3000 students, the other 800 and the treatment of school shootings, the training, the seriousness that is taken about school violence is different. The larger school put much more emphasis on it than the smaller school.
We do have searches, etc at the school I teach now and zero tolerance is a big issue. Recently, a student was found to have hunting/fishing gear (knives) in his truck. Due to the zero tolerance policy, he was suspended until the school board could hear an appeal. Please keep in mind that students were up in arms about this because the school is in a small, rural community where hunting, fishing, and farming are the norm. The knife was locked up in the tackle box. Should he be suspended/ expelled? The question is, what's to stop a student from using a sharp pencil to stab a classmate? Almost anything can be viewed as a weapon.
I do have to say, the principal came to my class to speak with the students about the issue of zero tolerance, weapons, etc. and made a great point. Yes, the knife may have been used for fishing, but how do they know the student didn't just break up with his girlfriend or is on medication that isn't adjusted correctly? The knife is just sitting there and can be used, even if it isn't meant to be. I think it's a scary issue and one that fades into the limelight until another act of violence occurs. That's what's sad.
I've taught at two extremely different schools with two extremely different student populations. One had over 3000 students, the other 800 and the treatment of school shootings, the training, the seriousness that is taken about school violence is different. The larger school put much more emphasis on it than the smaller school.
We do have searches, etc at the school I teach now and zero tolerance is a big issue. Recently, a student was found to have hunting/fishing gear (knives) in his truck. Due to the zero tolerance policy, he was suspended until the school board could hear an appeal. Please keep in mind that students were up in arms about this because the school is in a small, rural community where hunting, fishing, and farming are the norm. The knife was locked up in the tackle box. Should he be suspended/ expelled? The question is, what's to stop a student from using a sharp pencil to stab a classmate? Almost anything can be viewed as a weapon.
I do have to say, the principal came to my class to speak with the students about the issue of zero tolerance, weapons, etc. and made a great point. Yes, the knife may have been used for fishing, but how do they know the student didn't just break up with his girlfriend or is on medication that isn't adjusted correctly? The knife is just sitting there and can be used, even if it isn't meant to be. I think it's a scary issue and one that fades into the limelight until another act of violence occurs. That's what's sad.
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