Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Active Shooter Drills - any value?

Read this article from the September 7, 2019 Forbes magazine: "Why Schools Should End Active Shooter Drills Immediately".

Do you know what the risk is of a student's dying at school in a shooting? 1:614,000,000. 

Can you even re-calculate that to a percentage? My computer's calculator tells me that it's the same as 1.628664495114007e-9. I've been out of school too long. That was never taught, when I was in school. Let me try: 1/614,000,000 = 0.00000000012866..... So, is that 0.00000012866%? Is there a math teacher in the house? What does "e-9" mean?

The number is so small I'm not going to worry about it. Are you?

Start asking questions at the next school board meeting. Do you know what the safety plan is? Does your child? Do your children know? If there is a real active-shooter event, does your family have a plan for reuniting?

How many families have fire drills at home? Or even have a fire extinguish? Or have any idea at all what to do if there is a grease fire in the kitchen? Or the microwave blows up? Who has a fire extinguisher in his car? Knows where it is? Knows how to use it? There are even families who don't buckle up before the car starts moving.

Too-frequent active-shooter drills create unnecessary trauma for students, teachers and staff.



Why Meadow Died - did you read it yet?


This is a book about Meadow Pollack, who was murdered at Margaret Stoneman Douglas High School (MSD) in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, 2018. It's about a system that failed Meadow, 16 others who died, others who were injured and those who were traumatized by the shooting. It's also about how the system failed the shooter.


I began reading the e-book on the day it was released in September. I quickly ordered a hardcover edition, and today it was delivered.

This is a book that EVERY parent, teacher, administrator and school board member should own and read

As I read it, I wondered, "Could this happen right here and right now in Richland 2 schools?"

Well, could it? Read about U.S. Department of Education's former Supt. Arne Duncan's Dear Colleague Letter. Read about the PROMISE program and how it was to reduce the school-to-prison pipeline. Read how MSD's superintendent was connected to Duncan.

Did Richland 2 receive one of Duncan's Dear Colleague Letters? Did Richland 2 implement a PROMISE program?

Then start digging into the policies in the Richland 2 School District (and your own home school district, if you live elsewhere). Read Richland 2's Board Policy AR-JICDA-R Code of Conduct. 

To find this, go to the District's website; then
click on EXPLORE; then
click on School Board; then
click on BOARD POLICIES; then
click on J STUDENTS; then
scroll down to Policy JICDA Code of Conduct; click on it, then
click on AR-JICDA-R Code of Conduct

Print this. Read it carefully. Keep it near you, while you read Why Meadow Died.

Watch for another article here soon, when I'll dissect Board Policy AR-JICDA-R and explain why this could just result in the next "Parkland" shooting, but right here.

Are you reading Why Meadow Died? Please comment below.