Texas school telling children to fight back to school attackers...

[Kitka]

BURLESON, Texas (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15253321) - "Youngsters in a suburban Fort Worth school district are being taught not to sit there like good boys and girls with their hands folded if a gunman invades the classroom, but to rush him and hit him with everything they've got — books, pencils, legs and arms....

...The school system in this working-class suburb of about 26,000 is believed to be the first in the nation to train all its teachers and students to fight back, Browne said.

At Burleson — which has 10 schools and about 8,500 students — the training covers various emergencies, such as tornadoes, fires and situations where first aid is required. Among the lessons: Use a belt as a sling for broken bones, and shoelaces make good tourniquets.

Students are also instructed not to comply with a gunman’s orders, and to take him down."

Ideas? Horrible idea or an idea whose time has come?

[TrueBlue]

I just don't know-what evidence is there that this would be at all effective? I understand that if a child is being pulled into a car, they should fight back in any way possible, but this seems different.

[MW]

It's a better idea than "ok kids, everyone sit in one corner and make it easy for the intruder to kill you." (which is the plan that my kids' school is using). At a minimum, if the kids rush the gunman, there's a better chance that more will live, than if they wait and follow directions - being passive worked years ago, when there were other motives for this type of crime. Nowadays, the focus (and "thrill") IS to kill innocent bystanders.

[Incognito]

I like the idea. I don't know how much I like it yet, but I do like it. It's definately not going to work with a class of Kinders, but I think it can be very effective for the older kids/Middle/Jr/HS. It's really sad that students have to go through this "new" type of training, but I can see how it may work in the future.

With the possibility of this being "well known," maybe it would deter future attacks?

[Matt]

I was in Texas last week as this was being discussed on TV.
Most seemed to be rather apprehensive about it.
I am also. It's very hard for young children to generalize such teachings and know when to put it into action.
To huddle in a corner is not the answer either.
Perhaps teach them to scatter.
This isn't as simple as it was when teaching children what to do in case of an atomic bomb attack. Crawling under the desk and putting your hands on your head probably wouldn't have given you much protection from the bomb.
This method probably wouldn't give you much protection from a gunman ~ especially with one of those automatic military weapons that continue to be available to the public. :pissed

[MW]

This method probably wouldn't give you much protection from a gunman ~ especially with one of those automatic military weapons that continue to be available to the public.

Why can't I find one of those for sale? I'd love to have one! :lol Let me know which state is selling them, I'll become a resident just to buy one!

I agree with teaching the to scatter at a young age - better chance of surviving than the "wait in the corner and follow orders like pigs being led to a slaughterhouse".

On that note . . . my daughter stood up to one of her HS teachers and told him what was wrong with their "lock-down" plan (we moved from DC area to Mayberry) . . . the teacher presented the plan at the next teachers meeting - the school LEO agreed and our plan is being changed! :hyper

[Indy]

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I like the fact that they are teaching the children to not sit back and be a victim but I have to wonder if this type of vigilantism among children could cause more harm than good.

I think it is appropriate for schools to teach children how they want them to behave if there school were ever attacked by some lunatic but I don't think throwing stuff at a person with a gun is a good idea. Of course, in the high schools, some of the football players might be able to tackle the intruder.

[Matt]

Okay, LawLover, my terminology was a bit lax. I should have said military type weapons. Any automatic weapon would be hard to reckon with for people of any age. If you are having trouble finding one, you might want to Google the availability of them.
I would be interested in what law enforcement people think of training children to attack a person with a gun ~ any gun. They have to face people with more powerful weapons than they have from time to time.

[cassandra]

Unfortunately this type of training has become a reality for schoolage children. Do I personally support it? No, but I am not in favor of violence . . . period.
I am a bit taken back by this type of training. As a former teacher I am not sure I would feel comfortable doing it.