Mindset... If you are like me and you follow whats going on in the "tactical" community, you are probably tired of hearing the word mindset. Mindset is a term that is most commonly used to describe ones willingness to prepare for, respond to and use violence. It is how you view the world and what steps you take to prepare for the possibility of violence... or at least for purposes of this discussion it is.
School shootings are becoming more and more commonplace. It seems like every time I open Facebook I am reading about another one. According to an article written by Greg Ellifritz of Active Response Training, since December 2016 there have been 71 school shootings. That number is substantially higher than most might have guessed. While it is still statistically unlikely your child will ever face something like that, the potential ramifications of being involved in such an incident are fatal. Its very unlikely that we will be involved in a school fire too but schools take numerous precautions to prevent and plan for this eventuality. Why are we not doing the same to prepare for violence?
Mindset. The mindset of the parents is that this will never happen to my child. The mindset of the teachers is we don't want to upset the parents. The mindset of the administration is that things like this don't happen in our area so why upset the parents and teachers by putting them through additional training to deal with situations like a school shooting. This mindset is the equivalent of burying your head in the sand and pretending the bad things around you don't really exist. Its irresponsible and irrational. What should be happening is a no nonsense study of the school shootings that have occurred in this country followed by a discussion on what we can to do prevent these from happening at our academic institution. Local law enforcement should be a part of this discussion as should private security professionals who specialize in active shooter/killer training and conducting site security assessments or threat assessments. Schools should bring in professionals who can show them where they are vulnerable and make suggestions as to how they can improve their security posture and response. Id be willing to bet there are quite a few business owners like myself who would be willing to provide such a service pro bono. After all my kids are attending these schools too right?
It all comes down to mindset. As I walk the halls of my son's school I see teachers, administrators and other school employees concerned with everything but violence. It seems like they are incapable of even thinking about what they would do if someone came in the school and attempted to do them harm. This manner of thinking has to go. It needs to change. As a professional educator you are not only responsible for educating our children, but for keeping them safe while they are in your custody. If you can't even protect yourself how are you going to protect my child?
This isn't an attack on teachers or other school employees. This is a wake up call. This is plea for those working in the school environment to think outside the box about what they would do if...
Its time we have a serious discussion about school violence and what steps we are going to take to protect our children. The typical school procedures of locking students down in their classrooms is insufficient and in some cases grossly negligent. If you are concerned with your child's safety in their school I encourage you to speak to school administration and ask questions. It is my contention that you are unlikely to receive satisfactory responses to those questions.
I want to open up a dialogue between law enforcement/security professionals and school administrators. Lets stop burying our heads in the sand and acting like such violence can't come to our little town. Instead, lets be grown ups and take the necessary steps to protect our children while they are at school. Stop pretending that locking students in the classroom is the best response to every type of threat that a school might see. Admit that you just don't know what you don't know. Bring in someone who specializes in this area and at least consider their advice.
Mindset. Accept the world for what it is and prepare accordingly. Ignorance is not bliss, ignorance is irresponsible.