“We actually thought that someone was going to come in there and kill us.”
WINTER HAVEN, FL — Classrooms full of students and staff members were terrified when gun-wielding police officers unexpectedly charged in and locked down their middle school — an event that was actually part of a realistic drill that no one was allowed to know about.
The disturbing event happened early in the school day at Jewett Middle Academy on Thursday, November 13th, 2014. Without explanation, the principal announced at 9:00 a.m. that the school was being put into lockdown.
Moments later, police officers swept through the school, classroom-by-classroom, with weapons drawn. The bewildered children and teachers actually thought they were in real danger.
“We actually thought that someone was going to come in there and kill us,” said 7th grader Lauren Marionneaux to FOX affiliate WTVT.
The event was an “active shooter drill,” which are becoming commonplace in America’s public schools, with varying degrees of realism and notification. Ostensibly promoted as a way to thwart school shootings, the controversial and dangerous drills also subtly shape the perspectives of young, impressionable minds.
Many schools run such drills during the summer or when class is not in session. Many use volunteers rather than unsuspecting students. But not in Polk County, Florida.
“I thought he was going to shoot me,” said student Stacy Ray to FOX 13, after seeing an officer carrying a rifle sweep through her classroom.
The teams of officers were not carrying prop firearms. The weapons were real and they were loaded with real ammunition, police confirmed to the Washington Post.
Frightened children began to send text messages to their parents, sending them into a panic. No parent had been notified that the dramatic event was going to occur, nor asked permission, nor granted consent. The first official explanation came in an email, on the day after the drill.
The secrecy was intentional and required, administrators confirmed.
“We do not give advanced notice of fire drills,” the school rationalized to to parents in an email, “in order to evaluate how safety procedures work.”
After many criticisms, the only thing that officials agreed to change in Polk County is the presence of actual, loaded weapons during the drills. The drills will continue, without warning or consent, whether parents like it or not.
“It really is to protect the children,” said Winter Haven Police Chief Charlie Bird.
From article
The teams of officers were not carrying prop firearms. The weapons were real and they were loaded with real ammunition, police confirmed to the Washington Post.
Seriously? WTF
Another reason to not send children to a govt school.
Talk about going overboard! Loaded weapons carried by a bunch of trigger-happy cops around a bunch of kids. Makes one feel all safe & cozy.
Why do people shoot up schools – I got two reasons:
1. Gubmint scrools are shit holes, brain-wash factories, with libtard weenies for teachers.
2. The media won’t report it, but many of these shooters were on anti-depressants. Instead of suicidal tendencies they go postal.
Fear the police, cherubs, they are the REAL enemy.
“It really is to protect State property, the children,” said Winter Haven Police Chief Charlie Bird
Unfortunately, there is at least a little Gestapo in every person who wants to be a cop — and a little Mao/Stalin/Hitler/Pol Pot in every person who wants to run a country. How much is the crucial question in each case…
Those police would make easy targets in a real war situation. Most rifle rounds 308.;30:06.;270.7mm will still go through body armor especially at close range. Don’t wish those police any harm but hunting rifle rounds will stop them.
One of those students is bound to have a scummy lawyer parent. He/she may be scarred emotionally for life, and the only cure will be millions of tax payer dollars.
These “active shooter drills” have been going on all over the country for a few years now. Here’s one from last year.
Fuckin thugs.
.
On another note, it looks like Ferguson is gonna BLOW! Now … those fuckers should have been aborted!
@bb, many of them are wearing rifle plates, which will stop all those rounds (except some plates won’t stop .30-06 AP, which is not common any more), but rifle plates don’t actually cover that much.
Anyway… the best answer is not to do stupid shit like this. A school could have the basic security level expected of an office building and have little risk of crazy shooters inside the building.
We certainly have come a long way from Sheriff Andy and Barney Fife.
Where do I get the idea we are on a severe downward trajectory?
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Nothing like getting young kids acclimated to seeing a militarized police force in action. Social engineering drill disguised as an active shooter drill, coming soon to a school near you.
Goddamn SS Gestapo rat bastards!
My wife is a public school teacher in the grade school all my sons attended, yet things have now gotten so bad that we agree, if our kids were still school age we’d not send them to the public (and we view the private schools as pale mimics of the publics.)
Yes, things have gotten that bad. The cops and the active shooters are not the real problem. The real problem is “mainstreaming” the Special Ed kids and kowtowing to the “non”-English -speakers (AKA the Spanish-speaking illegal and semi-legal immigrants.)
NCLB is forcing vast sums of money to be diverted from “normal” and bright kids to be spent on getting a sub-80 IQ kid up to “average” (which is impossible.) This is what bureaucracies do best, piss away irreplaceable resources on the pursuit of the impossible.
@ bb and CU,
Most cops wear soft body armor only (which will not even slow down rifle bullets of any sort above a 22 LR). SWAT-types may wear plates, but I have to wonder how many do, given their relative discomfort.
In the end, violence cannot defeat them. What will is what is being done, making them publicly “the bad guys.” Only when Joe Citizen realizes the cops are out of control and must be reigned in will the cop organizations change on their own. Either that or we endure a spasm of Dirty War murder and I don’t care who you are, that’s not good.
Make it so no one wants their kid to become a cop. That’s when things will change.
@ Dan, I think the notion of getting kids accustomed to being bullied by militarized cops will backfire hugely.
Of all people, kids don’t like to be pushed around for no reason. I suspect the cops are doing our jobs (of deligitimizing themselves) for us.
If by future tax donkeys you refer to the “children”, I totally agree, Monger!
I loved my children enough to home school them.