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And that is what the principal of the Lee Middle and High School claims when discussing the small matter of allowing police in full riot gear, carrying rifles - marked with tape to indicate that they were not loaded, but how would a student know that?! - and forcing students between the ages of 12 and 17 years old to stand with their faces against a wall believing that the school was under some sort of threat alert whilst it was, in fact, simply taking part in a drill. The students had no idea...They were not told. The parents had no idea...They were not told. The teachers only found out that the drill was going to take place "moments before" it actually happened. Needless to say that the parents are not thrilled, the students were scared half to death and the principal is an idiot. If I were the parent of a student at the school I would demand the immediate resignation of principal David Britten, a full apology from the school board and local education board and a written guarantee for all parents in all districts in all states across the entire nation that their children will NEVER be subjected to this kind of martial law/police state training again. This is an utter disgrace and even the local chief of police seems to understand that:
So, if the chief of police is to be believed then not only would he not have allowed this drill to place in this manner, but the principal took the decision to subject the students to this level of stress by himself. But it is all for the best, I mean, kids should learn what it feels like to have a police officer in full riot gear carrying a rifle storm into their classroom, evacuate them and then have them face a wall whilst answering questions such as "what have you got in your pockets'," long before they learn to drive a car, legally buy a beer, get married, legally smoke a cigarette, take a final exam, get a GED, go to college, have their first kiss, go to the prom... Shouldn't they?! Finally, the article states that:
Some parents and some students? I don't know what is worse. The way that AP played this whole thing down or the fact that not ALL of the parents are screaming bloody murder at the school for this hideous decision. And people ask me why I don't want my children to attend school!
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| Saturday 28th October 2006 | Associated Press Original article entitled "School safety drill upsets some parents" | link | |
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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. |
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