Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
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Monday, October 16, 2006
Taking the fight to an attacker
Forget locking the doors and hiding under desks. In one Texas school district, an intruder alert means something altogether different. It’s a call for the kids to attack.
And as crazy as that sounds, they might be right.
Could these recent violent school incidents do for school safety what the 9/11 hijackings did for air safety? That is, turn compliant victims into fighters?
After 9/11, I would be surprised if you’ll ever see an airliner hijacked again without a fight. Remember the shoe bomber, Richard Reid? A few months after the terror attacks he tried to light a bomb built into his shoe on an overseas flight and was quickly attacked and subdued by other passengers. Sept. 11 taught us that sometimes your only chance is to fight when you have the chance.
The way these latest school shootings have gone down, it’s not outlandish to suggest a school’s best chance in a threatening situation is to use its advantage — the attackers are always going to be outnumbered. A school staff and student body trained to attack at the first sign of trouble might actually prove effective at heading off a bigger tragedy.
Or, it might turn a situation that could be diffused without violence into one in which innocent victims are unnecessarily harmed?
Teacher-blogger Chem Jerk says this idea is insane, comparing it what he says is an equally crazy idea — allowing students and staff to pack heat.
What’s your take? Is the attack-first posture justifiable?
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