'Distract and attack' not an option
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November 9, 2012 |
By Mike Weland
I’ve been thinking a good bit lately about
security and safety in Boundary County’s public
schools, particularly since the “distract and
attack” lesson raised such a stir at the middle
school last week.
I do admit, when I first heard middle school
Principal David Mile’s explanation to teachers,
I was impressed. When I heard how it was being
taught and applied, I was distressed.
Along with every other District 101 School Board
member, I attended the Idaho State School Board
Association conference in Coeur d’Alene this
week. Not surprisingly, school security and
safety was a key issue among school board
members state-wide.
School board members are perhaps the purest of
elected officials … we don’t get paid, perks are
non-existent and we hold very dear the only
reason we ran; to foster sound education and to
serve our community's children.
We don’t get paid, but the rewards are many. So
too are the beatings we take … most often
regarding the hiring of a coach. That's sad, but
easy. Student safety is of far more import.
When I talked to Mr. Miles last week about
“distract and attack,” it made perfect sense.
When left no choice, desperate measures make
good sense. But after I put down the phone, it
dawned on me ... this sounds cool, but it
doesn't add up.
I had no reason to know better until long after
I was out of school, and only after I’d
undergone some pretty punishing military
training.
“Attack” is a learned response … not a natural
one. While it’s been proven in the military to
be effective, serious training is essential to
overcome the natural propensity to flight, and
it has to be replaced by an inkling of
confidence that your efforts at “fight” might
succeed.
That confidence can only be instilled by
training.
At the middle school, I heard that some
students, mostly the biggest boys, were singled
out to be the attackers in the event the
unimaginable occurred in their classroom and
there was nothing else possible to be done.
While they attacked, the theory goes, others
would distract, and some would get out alive.
That’s where I came to question the idea … while
kids might think it tremendously cool to be
afforded such a heroic role in practice, it
seldom plays out that way. Typically, it’s a
teacher who saves the day, not a student. And
not by attacking, but by shielding.
Even in the military, most service members duck,
hide and wait when under strenuous attack; less
than 10 percent qualify and join the elite
forces those "everyday" troops pray will rescue
them.
A small fraction of those who try to be counted
among "the best of the best" endure the training
and learn the lessons or the skills. Most go
home crying.
In my mind, “attack and distract” is a bust. An
“active shooter” scenario could happen, one of
our “bomb threats” could result in an explosion.
It could happen, but it's not likely.
I heard something this week from an expert on
school security at the conference that piqued my
thought; that it’s natural for people to make
plans for the worst possible scenario … even if
it’s the least likely to occur.
What of flood or fire? An overload of snow
causing building failure? A tire blows out on a
school bus full of kids? In an average year in
Boundary County, icy sidewalks will cause more
injuries than any event we fear most.
At 5 p.m. Tuesday, the School District 101 board
will hold special session at the high school on
a school security, a matter already under
address, but not expected so soon.
As a board member, I applaud Mr. Miles for being
proactive, but I wish he had sufficient
confidence in his board to have explained his
plan to us before he talked to teachers.
As a school district trustee, and speaking
solely for myself, I will not advocate arming
teachers nor assign students, no matter how big
or heroic, a mission to attack anyone.
If the bomb threats have taught us anything,
it’s that our local law enforcement agencies and
emergency management apparatus works well.
What’s lacking is communication.
Instead of a gun, every teacher and office
should have a “crash button” that when pushed
triggers an immediate law enforcement response.
Every administrator in the district should be
required, and every school district employee
encouraged, to become certified in NIMS, the
National Incident Management System, so they are
part of the team, and not an impediment.
The school district should have a representative
at every Local Emergency Planning Committee
meeting, held at 8 a.m. the first Wednesday of
each month in the Boundary County Extension
Office.
The district should make better use of its
technology to immediately inform parents and the
press of exactly what is going on and how best
to respond.
Instead of worrying about threats, real or
perceived, teachers should teach and students
should learn.
This is not to say a dire situation won’t happen
or that a student or teacher not be called upon
to perform an act of heroism. Instead, it’s a
plea to let those well trained be allowed to do what they do
best in the event of the unthinkable. |
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