http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/05/13/faked.attack.ap/index.html

Quote :

" Teachers stage fake gunman attack on sixth graders MURFREESBORO, Tennessee (AP) -- Staff members of an 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. The mock attack Thursday night was intended as a learning experience and lasted five minutes during the weeklong trip to a state park, said Scales Elementary School Assistant Principal Don Bartch, who led the trip. "We got together and discussed what we would have done in a real situation," he said. But parents of the sixth-grade students were outraged. "The children were in that room in the dark, begging for their lives, because they thought there was someone with a gun after them," said Brandy Cole, whose son went on the trip. Some parents said they were upset by the staff's poor judgment in light of the April 16 shootings at Virginia Tech that left 33 students and professors dead, including the gunman. During the last night of the trip, staff members convinced the 69 students that there was a gunman on the loose. They were told to lie on the floor or hide underneath tables and stay quiet. A teacher, disguised in a hooded sweat shirt, even pulled on a locked door. After the lights went out, about 20 kids started to cry, 11-year-old Shay Naylor said. "I was like, 'Oh My God,' " she said. "At first I thought I was going to die. We flipped out." Principal Catherine Stephens declined to say whether the staff members involved would face disciplinary action, but said the situation "involved poor judgment.""

fucking ridiculous

if i had a kid who was on that trip, i would be going absolutely insane right now

5/13/2007 11:51:12 PM

Why did they decide that this would be a good idea?

5/13/2007 11:53:10 PM

stuff like this makes me want kids to carry guns so like when adults pull some shit like this the kids can blow their fucking heads off

5/13/2007 11:54:24 PM

Yeah, kids with guns would be a fantastic idea.

I don't know how the teachers can pull some stuff like this, but if a kid has a Nerf gun he gets expelled.

5/13/2007 11:57:15 PM

i'm sorry



but i'm laughing my ass off over here

5/14/2007 12:08:03 AM

Kids should know their life hangs on a thread!

5/14/2007 12:15:49 AM

I'm in Franklin, TN. It's a pretty big deal down here.

I think it's just harmless pranking. Coincidence? Yes. Eternal mental scars? No.

5/14/2007 12:19:01 AM

but is it "crying wolf"? absolutely.
be great when a real threat occurs and the kids hesitate wondering if it's more bull crap like this.
that little stunt was stupid, end of story.

5/14/2007 1:36:37 AM

I wouldnt call it pranking...despite it being a little over the edge, it did serve a purpose

5/14/2007 5:43:34 AM

You can bet I'd be pretty pissed if I were a parent.

5/14/2007 6:17:44 AM

we have gunman drills all the time at our school.

5/14/2007 6:32:59 AM

pretty soon instead of gym class there will be self-defence, advanced weapons training, and mortal hand-to-hand combat training for all middle school grade lvls through high school.

5/14/2007 7:12:05 AM

administration gets away with this, but if you draw a picture of a gun on your notebook as a student, you get permanently expelled.

5/14/2007 8:16:42 AM

That was definitely bad judgment. Having a gunman drill could be a good idea, but there is no reason to pretend it's not a drill.

5/14/2007 8:31:08 AM

whoa.

that's all i can say.

5/14/2007 8:33:44 AM

they should have 'real' fire drills. because we all know no one is going to go outside in single file line.

5/14/2007 8:49:01 AM

boo fuckin hoo

People need thicker skin these days

The outrage from this is why this country is full of pussies these days

I'm not trying to troll, I'm just trying to keep us from becoming like France

5/14/2007 8:56:42 AM

they need to scare us to prepare us now a days

similar to 9/11 and the buildup to the iraq war

i think france won on that one...

5/14/2007 9:00:35 AM

oh, I was just saying France is, and always has been, a country full of pussies

5/14/2007 9:07:31 AM

Quote :

"boo fuckin hoo People need thicker skin these days The outrage from this is why this country is full of pussies these days I'm not trying to troll, I'm just trying to keep us from becoming like France"

there is a difference between having thick skin and needlessly terrorizing 11 year old students in the aftermath of the recent Va Tech shootings.

5/14/2007 9:14:03 AM

Quote :

"Having a gunman drill could be a good idea, but there is no reason to pretend it's not a drill."

5/14/2007 9:18:33 AM

Quote :

"oh, I was just saying France is, and always has been, a country full of pussies"

5/14/2007 9:44:35 AM

Well, i'm sure parents will try and sue.

5/14/2007 9:46:48 AM

Quote :

"there is a difference between having thick skin and needlessly terrorizing 11 year old students in the aftermath of the recent Va Tech shootings."

AGREED this was ridiculously stupid on the teachers' part!

5/14/2007 10:54:12 AM

there is nothing wrong with being prepared

5/14/2007 10:58:15 AM

Quote :

"20 kids started to cry"

6th graders? what a bunch of pussies. they didn't even hear or see a gun.

5/14/2007 11:07:11 AM

^^ sure, but what does this incident have to do with preparing for anything

5/14/2007 11:10:07 AM

just stop fucking picking on your classmates and you won't have to worry about getting shot in the face. Kids these days are filled with hate. I have no sympathy for when this shit happens. (the shootings, not the drills)

5/14/2007 11:14:29 AM

^Ya rly. Children can be so fucking cruel to one another.

5/14/2007 11:45:52 AM

I can't believe anyone could think something like this would be a good idea.

5/14/2007 11:54:48 AM

Quote :

"just stop fucking picking on your classmates and you won't have to worry about getting shot in the face. Kids these days are filled with hate. I have no sympathy for when this shit happens. (the shootings, not the drills) "

they obviously deserve to be shot for being brats.

[Edited on May 14, 2007 at 12:06 PM. Reason : grammar]

5/14/2007 12:06:03 PM

^they don't deserve my sympathy or to be put one the news with their lame boohoos. Suddenly they're all saints when the shit hits the fan.

5/14/2007 12:10:58 PM

what a douche you are.

5/14/2007 12:14:32 PM

It was definitely stupid to go about it this way, but I can understand the reasoning behind it. We have lockdown drills, bomb threat drills, and the like pretty often, and the students never take them seriously. When we're hiding in the dark trying not to draw attention to ourselves, they don't shut up. I can see the same thing happening if there were ever a need for this. If the threat isn't in their faces, it isn't real.

[Edited on May 14, 2007 at 12:17 PM. Reason : .]

5/14/2007 12:16:36 PM

Quote :

"what a douche you are."

likewise.

5/14/2007 12:33:27 PM

I guess we know how Golovko's high school experience went.

5/14/2007 12:43:06 PM

I agree with golovko

Society says its ok for kids to pick on one another as it is "part of growing up"

I think thats bullshit

5/14/2007 1:55:33 PM

you can't stop it without watching every kid every second of every day.

All you can do is teach kids to stand up for themselves.

But most parents tend to pussify their kids.

5/14/2007 1:57:47 PM

Quote :

"I guess we know how Golovko's high school experience went."

you would be wrong to assume so. My high school experience was quite awesome. But I still managed not to alienate other people because they were different or unpopular. No reason to pick on people because they are different then you, or have something wrong (from your point of view) with them that they can't change.

Quote :

"you can't stop it without watching every kid every second of every day. All you can do is teach kids to stand up for themselves. But most parents tend to pussify their kids."

no need to stop it or watch the kids 24/7. It all boils down to how they are raised. Raise your kids right and they won't torment less fortunate kids in school.

[Edited on May 14, 2007 at 1:59 PM. Reason : fda]

5/14/2007 1:57:52 PM

^^As much racist shit as you post about black people, I'm going to have to call bullshit.

^ that only works on your own kids. Some parents just don't give a shit, and that element will always be present

5/14/2007 2:00:27 PM

Quote :

"^^As much racist shit as you post about black people, I'm going to have to call bullshit."

lol. I'm not racist. I do post racist stuff, but thats just posting. Most of the stuff I say on TWW does not reflect my real life opinion. Most people on here are too immature to have a real discussion with, so i just join in on the shenanigans.

Quote :

"^ that only works on your own kids. Some parents just don't give a shit, and that element will always be present"

Well if some parents just don't give a shit then thats their problem. Can't save them all.

5/14/2007 2:32:48 PM

5/14/2007 2:41:13 PM

what i saw on the news today said that the teachers every year pull a prank on the kids. this was just not a well timed prank, if there ever is a good time to fake a gunman on the loose that is. i'd think the better prank would be makin em think the buses left em on the morning they were supposed to leave. thats classic and nobody fears for their life. its win/win.

5/14/2007 7:16:53 PM

Quote :

"be great when a real threat occurs and the kids hesitate wondering if it's more bull crap like this."

That's why I never believe tornados are actually coming...

5/14/2007 9:01:15 PM

north carolina isnt at the top of the list of tornado states anyways

5/14/2007 9:03:20 PM

that is awful, scaring kids like that. These parents have a right to be angry.

5/15/2007 5:48:16 PM

Quote :

"what i saw on the news today said that the teachers every year pull a prank on the kids. this was just not a well timed prank, if there ever is a good time to fake a gunman on the loose that is. i'd think the better prank would be makin em think the buses left em on the morning they were supposed to leave. thats classic and nobody fears for their life. its win/win."

OR tell them one day that they're getting a good education and that they will all grow up and fulfill their dreams.

it will be like a life long prank. many years later they will realize the prank part.

[Edited on May 15, 2007 at 8:47 PM. Reason : fda]

5/15/2007 8:47:01 PM

Quote :

" Parents rally behind teachers who faked gunman attack on students By TOSHEENA ROBINSON-BLAIR Gannett Tennessee Parents are rallying behind the two Scales Elementary School educators who were suspended after pulling a prank during a field trip at a state park where they told 69 sixth-graders that a gunman was on the loose. "(Monday) night I received at least 15 phone calls from parents wanting to know how they can help the educators out," said Cherry Ross, who heads the school's Parent Teacher Organization with her husband, David. On Monday, Marilyn Mathis, director of Murfreesboro City Schools, suspended Assistant Principal Don Bartch and teacher Quentin Mastin for the part they played in the prank. They were suspended without pay until the school year ends June 1. Although a PTO meeting is set for Thursday, Ross said the suspensions aren't on the agenda. "There is nothing to discuss because we trust the administration to do what is right. We weren't there," Ross said. The prank occurred last Thursday during a weeklong trip to Fall Creek Falls State Park, about 90 miles east of Murfreesboro. The students were told that there was a gunman on the loose and they had to take cover. Some got upset and started to cry. "It was just an error in judgment. A lot of people feel that the suspension is tough. However, the suspension is not anything compared to the personal feelings and regret that these people have," said Cheryl Harris, the district's spokeswoman. Although some parents were outraged that teachers would scare the students in such a manner, Harris said Tuesday that Nancy Burton, the school's guidance counselor, had only seen two students in the wake of the incident. Harris said the educators were just staging a prank, not drilling the students for an emergency. Bartch has been quoted in newspapers portraying the incident as a planned learning experience for the children. Reached at his home Tuesday, Bartch said he agreed with Harris' version of events. Two teachers and an Extended School Program employee, working as a chaperone, were also involved in the incident, according to Harris. However, the school district ruled their part to be minor and declined to identify the employees. Ross, the PTO head, said the incident "has been blown out of proportion." "My child is in the safest environment, and we are picky parents. My heart just aches for Mr. Bartch and what he has been put through." Jessica Giles, an assistant professor of psychology at Vanderbilt University who studies the consequences of violence and trauma on children, suggested that regardless of whether the incident was a drill or a prank, the effect on the children would probably be the same. "If it was a prank or a learning experience, does it matter?" she said. "Can you clean up later?" It is reasonable to expect that at least some of those students might suffer from "increased amounts of fear about violence and school shootings and increased distrust for authority figures," she said."

5/16/2007 12:15:37 PM

Quote :

"sure, but what does this incident have to do with preparing for anything"

5/16/2007 12:32:27 PM

kids have been mean to other kids all along


this isn't anything new

5/16/2007 12:58:54 PM