“A school lockdown drill in Winter Haven, Florida, angered parents whose children apparently texted in alarm, with one noting that a police officer with an assault rifle came into a classroom,” abcnews.go.com reports. “Initially, only three people knew the lockdown at Jewett Middle Academy on Thursday was only a drill, police said. Parents, teachers and students were not told in advance about the scheduled event because, the school district said, the element of surprise is vital to make the drill effective.” And there you have it: the only good reason not to arm teachers, administrators and school staff. They might shoot SWAT team members descending – unannounced – on schools. Only in the future, armed teachers may have the edge . . .
Polk County Public Schools spokesman Jason Geary said parents were sent an email from the school after the drill was complete and the incident is under review by the district’s Department of Safe Schools. The district has announced that it will continue to have unannounced drills but uniformed officers will not carry weapons during those drills.
PTA board member Heidi Calvelage, whose son is a seventh grader at Jewett Middle Academy, said she was surprised any parents were upset about the secrecy surrounding the “very necessary” drills.
As for the student apparently texting before the drills have concluded, Calvelage said, “they shouldn’t be using their cells in class in the first place.”
Right. Because we wouldn’t want students to think that they should communicate strategic information during an actual active shooter events. Morons.