Teachers Stage Fake Attack on 6th Graders

The news that broke over the weekend that teachers from Murphreesboro, Tennessee’s Scales Elementary School “staged a fictitious gun attack on students during a class trip, telling them it was not a drill as the children cried and hid under tables” in order to impart lessons about what to do in the event of a Virginia Tech-style rampage has bloggers left and right united.

Your mission, should you chose to accept it: Write a compelling explanation as to why the teachers in question are not frothing idiots. The comments section or your own blog (trackbacking here so I see it) are acceptable forums. No blue books required.

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. Tlaloc says:

    I choose not to accept this mission on the grounds that the objective is unattainable.

    There are right ways and wrong ways to teach disaster response. Frightening children who are isolated from their families is in the latter category.

  2. Anderson says:

    Left & right, indeed. I was over at Volokh agreeing with people whom I *never* agree with.

  3. yetanotherjohn says:

    You train like you intend to fight.

    Of course now if a real shooter showed up, most if not all would be questioning if this is a drill.

    Alternatively, they were trying to find out if any of the sixth graders had a concealed carry before final exams.

  4. laura says:

    Did the administration know about this?

    I’m amazed.

  5. Kent says:

    The teachers are not frothing idiots. That would be an insult to the rabid and intellectually challenged everywhere.