>> WISCONSIN LAW REQUIRES
SCHOOLS TO CONDUCT AT LEAST ONE
SCHOOL VIOLENCE DRILL EVERY
YEAR.
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS ACTIVE
SHOOTER DRILLS, SOME SCHOOLS
CONDUCT THEM SEVERAL TIMES A
YEAR.
WHAT IS THAT LIKE FOR STUDENTS
AND STAFF ALREADY SO ON EDGE AND
FEARFUL IN THE DIRECT AFTERMATH
OF MASS SCHOOL SHOOTINGS LIKE
THE ONE IN TEXAS OR SANDY HOOK,
CONNECTICUT?
OUR NEXT GUEST WRO WROTE AN OP-D
DETAILING SHOOTER DRILLS AND
SADLY WHY WE NEED THEM.
CURRENT COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
AT THE WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF
PUBLIC INSTRUCTION, SHE JOINS US
NOW.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME.
>> SO YOU DESCRIBE ACTIVE
SHOOTER DRILLS AS FEELING
TERRIFYING.
HOW SO?
>> I THINK WHAT WE HAVE TO KEEP
IN MIND IS THAT STUDENTS WHO ARE
EXPERIENCING AN ACTIVE SHOOTER
DRILL ARE LITERALLY EXPERIENCING
THE BEHAVIOR THEY WOULD HAVE TO
DO IN THE FACE OF A TERRORIST
ATTACK, BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT AN
ACTIVE SHOOTER SITUATION IS.
AND SO OF COURSE THEY'RE
TERRIFYING.
THAT'S EXACTLY THE EXPECTED
RESPONSE TO THAT KIND OF
SITUATION.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THESE
DRILLS ARE DESIGNED TO MAKE SURE
THAT OUR BEHAVIOR CAN BE SAFE,
BUT THEY'RE ALSO TRAUMATIZING IN
AND OF THEMSELVES.
I THINK BACK TO SOMETIMES THE
ACTIVE SHOOTER DRILLS ARE VERY
DIFFICULT TO SUPERVISE.
THEY ARE TENSE SITUATIONS, THE
LIGHTS ARE OFF, WE'RE IN A
CORNER.
IT IS A VERY TERRIFYING
SITUATION, AND I THINK THROUGH
THE TIMES IN MY CLASSROOM WHEN
IT SEEMED LIKE THEY WEREN'T
GOING WELL, WHEN STUDENTS WERE
POTENTIALLY BEING DISRUPTIVE,
MOVING TOO MUCH, TALKING WHEN
THEY WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE
TALKING, AND I REMEMBER
PROCESSING THAT WITH THEM
AFTERWARDS.
WHY WAS THAT HAPPENING, HOW DO
WE MAKE SURE OUR BEHAVIOR LOOKS
DIFFERENT GOING FORWARD?
THE THING WAS, THEY EXPLAINED TO
ME AND I'M REALLY GLAD THEY DID
AND THAT I LISTENED.
IT WASN'T BECAUSE THEY WERE
TRYING TO BE DISRUPTIVE, THEY
WEREN'T BEING DISRESPECTFUL.
THEY WERE SCARED.
AND NONE OF US ARE OUR BEST
SELVES WHEN THEY'RE SCARED.
NOT TO MENTION THAT I TAUGHT
EIGHTH GRADE, THE THEY WERE 13.
THAT'S SUCH A DIFFICULT
SITUATION TO PUT SOMEONE IN.
AND I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO
KEEP THAT IN MIND AND CONTINUE
LISTENING TO OUR CHILDREN AS
WELL.
>> SO HOW EXACTLY DO THESE
DRILLS GO?
I MEAN, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE
LIGHTS BEING OFF AND KIND OF IN
A CORNER.
WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING?
>> SO I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
ACTIVE SHOOTER DRILLS IS THAT
THE PROTOCOLS ARE, OF COURSE,
DESIGNED TO TRY AND KEEP US SAFE
IN A VERY UNSAFE SITUATION,
WHICH MEANS THAT LIMITS ARE SORT
OF TESTED THROUGHOUT THE DRILL.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, AT MY SCHOOL,
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WOULD
HAPPEN IS TURN OFF THE LIGHTS,
LOCK THE DOORS, PUT PAPER OVER
THE WINDOWS, BECAUSE THERE WAS A
WINDOW IN THE DOOR, AND THEN
AFTER THAT DOOR IS LOCKED AND WE
ARE OUT OF SIGHT OF IT, OTHER
STAFF COME AROUND AND KNOCK ON
THE DOOR AND ASK TO BE LET IN.
AND WE ARE TOLD, PER PROTOCOL
BECAUSE IT IS WHAT IS EXPECTED
TO KEEP US SAFE, THAT WE CANNOT
LET THEM IN.
SO THAT MEANS THAT MY
13-YEAR-OLD STUDENTS ARE HEARING
A SECURITY GUARD OR A SCHOOL
SOCIAL WORKER OUTSIDE THE DOOR,
ASKING, PLEADING TO BE LET IN
BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT THE DRILL
REQUIRES THEM TO DO, AND THAT
PERSON, THEY HAVE A RELATIONSHIP
WITH, THEY KNOW WE HAVE TO SAY
NO.
THEY KNOW WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING.
BECAUSE IN THE HORRIFIC
SITUATION THAT THIS WAS REAL,
THAT COULD BE A TEST OF THE
SHOOTER.
AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH.
>> ON TOP OF THAT, WHAT IS IT
LIKE TO PRACTICE HOW TO RESPOND
TO AN ACTIVE SHOOTER IN THE
DIRECT AFTERMATH OF A MASS
SHOOTING?
>> IT'S SUCH AN IMPORTANT
QUESTION BECAUSE THERE ARE
REPEATED MASS SHOOTINGS, RIGHT?
LIKE, THERE'S VERY FEW TIMES
WHEN YOU DO A DRILL FOR ACTIVE
SHOOTER DRILLS THAT IT'S NOT IN
THE AFTERMATH OF A MASS
SHOOTING, BECAUSE THEY ARE
REPEATED IN OUR COUNTRY SO
OFTEN.
AND THE EXAMPLE I JUST GAVE
ABOUT IT BEING A DIFFICULT
EXPERIENCE WHEN STUDENTS WERE
MOVING TOO MUCH AND TALKING AND
THERE WAS NOISE AND IT FELT LIKE
THEY WERE BEING DISRESPECTFUL,
BUT IT TURNS OUT THEY WERE JUST
TERRIFIED, THAT WAS AN ACTIVE
SHOOTER DRILL WE DID TWO WEEKS
AFTER SANDY HOOK, AND IT WAS THE
SAME CLASSROOM THAT I HAD, I WAS
CURRENTLY TEACHING WHEN I FOUND
OUT ABOUT SANDY HOOK.
AND I HAD TO MAKE THE DECISION
IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT AFTERNOON
CLASS, DO I TELL THEM THAT SANDY
HOOK IS HAPPENING?
DO I TELL THEM IN A SPACE WHERE
THEY'RE ABLE TO AT LEAST TALK TO
EACH OTHER, TALK TO ME, BE IN
COMMUNITY TOGETHER, OR DO I NOT
TELL THEM BECAUSE IT FEELS
UNSAFE TO TELL THEM BECAUSE IT
IS EMOTIONALLY DIFFICULT, BUT
THEN THEY GO HOME AND TURN ON
THE TV OR LOOK AT THEIR SOCIAL
MEDIA AND LEARN THAT WAY?
THAT'S A DECISION I HAD TO MAKE,
AND I THINK BACK ABOUT THAT
DECISION A LOT.
DID I DECIDE THE RIGHT WAY?
I DID TELL THEM.
I TOLD THEM BECAUSE I REMEMBER
BACK WHEN I WAS IN MIDDLE
SCHOOL, I FOUND OUT ABOUT THE
OAK HOKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING AFTER
GOING HOME FROM SCHOOL, TURNING
ON MY TV IN AN EMPTY HOUSE, AND
THAT IS BURNED IN MY MEMORY AND
I DIDN'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN FOR
THEM.
I WANTED TO GIVE THEM THE SPACE
TO TALK.
AND WE TALKED, BUT WE COULDN'T
FIND A SOLUTION BECAUSE WE CAN'T
SOLVE THIS AS STUDENTS AND AS
TEACHERS.
>> WHAT HAVE CHILDREN TOLD YOU
ABOUT HOW THEY FEEL GROWING UP
LIKE THIS?
>> I THINK A LOT ABOUT TWO
CONVERSATIONS I'VE HAD WITH
STUDENTS BEFORE IN MY CLASS.
WHEN I TALK ABOUT SOMETHING
BEING BURNED IN MY MEMORY, THESE
ARE TWO CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE
THAT, AND ONE OF THEM WAS WITH A
STUDENT WHO, NOT AFTER A DRILL,
AND NOT EVEN AFTER A MASS
SHOOTING, JUST MENTIONED TO ME,
YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS KNOW WHERE
THE IXTHE EXIT IS, I ALWAYS KNOT
I DON'T HAVE MY BACK TO THE
CLASSROOM DOOR BECAUSE I DON'T
THINK OF A SCHOOL SHOOTING AS AN
IF, I THINK OF IT AS A WHEN.
THAT MEANS THAT WE ARE TRAINING
OUR CHILDREN TO HAVE
HYPERVIGILANCE, AND
HYPERVIGILANCE IS A TRAUMA
RESPONSE.
SO THAT'S THE SITUATION THAT
THEY'RE EXISTING IN.
AND THE OTHER THING THAT COMES
TO MIND IS, I TAUGHT ENGLISH AND
HISTORY AND SO WE DID A LOT OF
WRITING AS PART OF OUR PROCE
PROCESSING TOGETHER ABOUT A LOT
OF THINGS.
ABOUT HAPPY THINGS AND ABOUT
THINGS LIKE ACTIVE SHOOTER
SITUATIONS, AND I HAD A STUDENT
WRITE SOMETHING ONCE.
HE WAS WRITING A POEM AND THE
LAST LINE, IT WAS ABOUT A SCHOOL
SHOOTING, AND IT WAS A LETTER TO
HIS CLASSMATES, AND THE LAST
LINE WAS SOMETHING ALONG THE
LINES OF, "DON'T WORRY, AT LEAST
WE'LL DIE QUICKLY."
AND THAT WAS IN HIS BRAIN,
RIGHT?
I DIDN'T ASK HIM TO WRITE ABOUT
THAT.
HE DECIDED TO TAKE THAT STEP TO
WRITE ABOUT IT AND IT'S JUST
SOMETHING I'LL NEVER FORGET.
>> IT IS UNFORGETTABLE.
ABBY SWETZ, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR