An active-shooter training exercise at an elementary school in Indiana went wrong when teachers were injured by airsoft guns, and teachers are now demanding a change in protocol, according to new reports.
The incident occurred at Monticello’s Meadowlawn Elementary School, Indiana, in January and was confirmed by two elementary school teachers who described the exercise. In the training exercise, law enforcement asked teachers to kneel down against a classroom wall. Law enforcement officers then sprayed their backs with plastic pellets without warning, reported IndyStar.
‘It hurt so bad’: Indiana teachers shot with plastic pellets during active shooter training. https://t.co/c481sGNfN3 via @ArikaHerron pic.twitter.com/6ZEYx5nnhI
— Indiana State Teachers Association (@ISTAmembers) March 21, 2019
“They told us, ‘This is what happens if you just cower and do nothing,'” one of the teachers told IndyStar. “They shot all of us across our backs. I was hit four times. It hurt so bad.”
The Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA) wrote on Twitter, “During active shooter drill, four teachers at a time were taken into a room, told to crouch down and were shot execution style with some sort of projectiles — resulting in injuries to the extent that welts appeared, and blood was drawn.”
During active shooter drill, four teachers at a time were taken into a room, told to crouch down and were shot execution style with some sort of projectiles – resulting in injuries to the extent that welts appeared, and blood was drawn.
— Indiana State Teachers Association (@ISTAmembers) March 20, 2019
“The teachers were terrified, but were told not to tell anyone what happened,” the tweet read. “Teachers waiting outside that heard the screaming were brought into the room four at a time and the shooting process was repeated.”
The ISTA wants to stop this from happening to other teachers and is now lobbying lawmakers to add language prohibiting teachers from being shot with any sort of ammunition to a school safety bill, House Bill 1004, which is working its way through the Statehouse.
According to House Bill 1004, all schools must conduct an active-shooter drill at least once a year, but it does not mandate any specific type of training program.
“What we’re looking for is just a simple statement in this bill that would prohibit the shooting of some type of projectile at staff in an active-shooter drill,” said Gail Zeheralis, director of government relations for the ISTA during testimony in support of House Bill 1004 before lawmakers Wednesday, reported the IndyStar.
Here is a summary of ALICE.
ALICE is non-sequential and can be used to minimize fatalities in the event of a violent intruder. pic.twitter.com/2nuMHvIjrO
— ALICE Training Institute (@ALICEtraining) March 20, 2019
The teachers at Meadowlawn Elementary School were part of what is called ALICE training, which is an acronym for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate.
According to the website, ALICE training is the “leading training solution that increases an organization’s and individual’s odds of survival during a violent intruder event.”
The White County Sheriff, Bill Brooks, said he’s conducted similar training before, which typically involves the use of an air-powered device called airsoft guns. However, he said after receiving a complaint, the training will no longer employ the air-powered devices with teachers, reported IndyStar.
The plastic pellets used in the airsoft guns are 4.6mm in diameter, slightly larger than a standard BB, which is metal and is about 4 mm in diameter.
“It’s a soft, round projectile,” he said. “The key here is ‘soft.'”
He also said participation in the training and that the teachers knew there was a chance of getting “shot.”
“They all knew they could be,” he said. “It’s a shooting exercise.”
However, after the complaints, he said they no longer use that method anymore.
When teachers were struck with air pellets during a school shooting drill at an Indiana elementary school, they were left bleeding and with bruises when it was over, says the executive director of a teacher’s association. https://t.co/1Rz8OainyU pic.twitter.com/QODcH2rWUg
— ABC News (@ABC) March 21, 2019
Meanwhile, the Meadowlawn teachers told IndyStar they weren’t warned that they might be shot.
One of the teachers said as the first group went into a classroom for the January training session, she was waiting in the library with other teachers.
“The firsts group went in and we heard them scream and yell,” she said. “We thought, ‘What is going on?'”
When it was her turn, she described what happened; “it was like a quick spew of those pellets.”
She said “Most of us got hit several times in our backs,” and she had welts and a spot where it broke her skin.
Lawmakers have displaced the burden of public safety onto educators and even children, who now learn to assess risk while they’re still learning how to read. https://t.co/DMAlflNLxM
— Sarah Jones (@onesarahjones) March 22, 2019
The superintendent of the Twin Lakes School Corporation, Michael Galvin, to which Meadowlawn belongs, said in a statement that the district had coordinated a meeting between the local teachers union, Twin Lakes Classroom Teachers Organization, and the White County Sheriff’s Office to further discuss the best way to hold active shooter drills.
“The Twin Lakes School Corporation is committed to providing a safe environment for its students and employees,” he said, according to IndyStar.
Brooks told Fox News, “This is the first incident or complaint we ever received. We did not receive any complaints that day. In fact, the opposite, they loved the training and we are still receiving numerous calls of support from teachers and the public.”
“Our children’s safety is still our highest priority and we will continue active shooter training exercises however teachers will no longer be involved,” he said.
A post from Meadowland school’s Facebook page on Jan. 4, shows teachers sitting around classroom tables with a law enforcement officer standing before them. The caption reads: “Thankful for the partnership between our school and local law enforcement. Today our staff received training from The White County sheriffs department. Safety is priority at ML!”
