A Very Bad Idea!

**nitestokker** · 10-30-06, 03:34 AM

Believe it or not, this type of idiocy is becoming a trend. Just last week this very idea was proposed to our SWAT team by the FREAKIN' PRINCIPAL of the High School! He actually got upset and defensive when every one of the several LEO's in the room told him it was a lawsuit waiting to happen. This proves my point! (BTW, the school Superintendent was also there and wanted us to do this very exercise in the ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, both of them!)

School Safety Drill Upsets Some Parents
Published Saturday October 28, 2006 by The Associated Press
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WYOMING, Mich. (AP) - A school safety drill that included police officers in riot gear with weapons has caused concern among some parents who say it was too realistic and frightened some students.

Police in the western Michigan community of Wyoming entered two classrooms at Lee Middle and High School on Thursday and announced there was a threat to the school, The Grand Rapids Press reported.

Students, who were unaware police were conducting a drill, were taken from the classroom into the halls, patted down by officers and asked what they had in their pockets, the newspaper said.

"Some of these kids were so scared, they just about wet their pants," said Marge Bradshaw, a parent with four children in Godfrey-Lee Schools. "I think it's pure wrong that the students and parents were not informed of this."

Officers wore protective gear, including vests and helmets, and carried rifles that were unloaded and marked with colored tape to indicate they were not live weapons, the newspaper said.

Diana Silva, a parent of an eighth-grade student, said the drill went too far.

"My child was with his face to the wall in the hallway of the high school," Silva said. "I certainly don't want anything like this happening to my child."

Principal David Britten said students weren't told ahead of time to make the drill as realistic as possible. Teachers were informed moments before it took place, he said.

"I think this is the best way to do it," Britten said. "We're not looking to scare anyone, but we want a sense of urgency."

But Wyoming Police Chief James Carmody said his officers were not aware students and parents were not told. He said his department will mandate that parents be notified ahead of time in the future.

"The purpose was to show how we will evacuate the classroom, not to assault the classroom," Carmody said.

**General Patten** · 10-30-06, 03:49 AM

maybe Im just too tired, but I can't figure out what this was supposed to accomplish... I could understand them practicing this kind of thing with willing participants after school hours, but what were the kids supposed to learn from this?

**nitestokker** · 10-30-06, 04:21 AM

In my case, the principal thought it would be a good idea because we could actually see what the kids would do if they thought it was for real. It seemed as though he either wanted to use them as guinea pigs for his own pet experiment or else he just wanted to cause some excitement. Either way, he should be fired, beaten severely about the upper body by Hells Angels and deserted in the mountains somewhere. I find it utterly disgusting that he would want to expose our children to this sort of trauma. And what really amazed me was the fact that he was serious about it! He actually said "I think it would be a good training tool for all of us to see how they would react to such a thing". You believe that shit?

**conalabu** · 10-30-06, 08:47 AM

I understand what he was trying to accomplish, but that was dumb. Knowing whether or not the kids are going to be able to respond the way we would need them to is important. Kind of like fire drills. Yeah, traumatic as hell, but I can understand where he was coming from. Now, in reality, this was dumb for all kinds of reasons. Scared kids do stupid things for one, two- eighth grade? In my area, good chance some of those kids would be holding or carrying. three-parents don't want their precious little angels that never do anything wrong exposed to the big bad poleese.

**Ducky** · 10-30-06, 11:17 AM

I think it would be good training to let the drug dogs wander the schools every so often, just to see how it thins the herd.

**nitestokker** · 10-30-06, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by Ducky

I think it would be good training to let the drug dogs wander the schools every so often, just to see how it thins the herd.

Now THIS we do! It doesn't create chaos and it actually produces a lot of interesting items. We then quietly have the student removed from class by the teacher and he explains to us outside why he has a dead body and a pound of smack in his locker.