Transgender student allegedly barred from sheltering in locker room during drill
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Teachers at a Virginia middle school couldn't decide which bathroom or locker room to send a transgender student during an active-shooter drill, so she was forced to shelter in a gym away from her classmates, an LGBT rights group alleged.
The incident occurred last week at Stafford County Middle School, according to a post on the group Equality Stafford's Facebook page .
"When the drill began, a particular class of children took shelter in the bathroom/locker room nearest them as they were in PE," the post read. "One student was prevented from entering either the boys' or girls' locker room while the teachers discussed where she should go. The student was forced to watch the adults charged with her care, debate the safest place (for the other students) to have her shelter."
"Let me be clear," the post continued. "During an event that prepares children to survive an attack by actual assailants, she was treated as if she was so much of a danger to peers that she was left exposed and vulnerable."
Sherrie Johnson, a spokeswoman for Stafford County Public Schools, was asked by a reporter if the student should have been allowed in the girls' locker room because she identifies as female. Johnson did not answer the question, telling WUSA only that the school is reviewing protocols and procedures.
A group of concerned parents, friends and neighbors reportedly plan to protest at the a school board meeting Tuesday night.
A Facebook commenter who appeared to be a preschool or elementary teacher criticized the Stafford County teachers.
"The goal is how fast you move, not if you are in the right space," she wrote. "I had to evacuate 4-year-olds during a tornado and we all went into the women's bathroom. These kids should have been placed into the closest room, no debate needed. A murderer doesn't care (about) your gender, adopted or born with."
But the Equality Stafford poster wrote that the teachers should not be faulted as they were not given proper guidance in handling the situation.
I heard this on my local news this morning. The first thing that popped out of my mouth was, "If there really was a shooter in the school...it wouldn't matter what sex one was, or identified as...TAKE SHELTER! Nobody is going to bother to change clothes or disrobe! IDIOTS!!"
It doesn't matter what your views are regarding those who are transgender - when there is an active shooter - DRILL or REAL.
Yeah, when I read that yesterday I couldn't believe how stupid that action was. How could anyone think it's ok to leave a child out as a target during an active shooter drill... they failed their basic responsibility of being a human being much less an adult.
Not much one can really say to this,
But the Equality Stafford poster wrote that the teachers should not be faulted as they were not given proper guidance in handling the situation.
other than, how about utilizing a bit of responsibility and common sense.
That is why you have a drill, to find out what questions nobody thought of before and what needs to be fixed. Transgender student in gym is a new thing they had not dealt with before and teachers were afraid to make a mistake
Morning...think it is so sad that you have to hold these types of drills, but it is what it is...I thought the same... who gives a flying fig what room you go to...Do they segregate when you have a flood, cyclone, bushfire etc or anything else over there?? Go to the nearest safest room and survive...What is hard about this?? The teachers have over thought the whole thing but best they sort it out now and not when it is actually happening....And if the parents complain in case the wrong thing was done in their view, then what would they rather..their child dead or alive...Can only hope common sense reigns..
If my son is ever in an active shooter situation, I hope he gets behind the nearest door. I don't give a damn if it has a skirt or pants painted on it. Just get behind a door and hide.
Good grief, it's not like they'll be changing out for gym class.
Even if they are changing for gym class why are people staring at someone else's crotch?
Along with bending them over, you know, to check the spine.
And to think I was only worried about the towel boy.
I don't know if crowding people into one area is that great of an idea to begin with.
I would jump out the nearest window.
And, probably get shot by the nearest cop.
Our school's window's don't open anymore. I'm not crazy about that, either. Seems like a fire hazard to me.
And, while they are debating this little made up problem,
When I was Operations Director for a boarding school, School Fire Marshall was one of my duties. First fire/emergency drills were announced practices to find problems and what staff and students did not know or do right. Even with detailed instruction and learning from pervious errors the things that could get screwed up were amazing, we did it until we got it right then I added new challenges.
We got good enough That with only the school President and Board Chairman knowing I pulled fire alarm during a board meeting, that's how confident I felt.
Later we added tornado and active shooter drills.
You got to practice to find the problems and what people think they know but have wrong and the new thing nobody thought about yet
It is true that drills will prevent things like this from happening in the future, I would hope but, for it to come up at all makes one realize how far we still have to go in our thinking.
hopefully other schools will learn from this and give good instructions. The teachers suddenly had a new problem and safety, PC and getting the drill right and differing opinions caused confusion.
Find these problems in practice and be right and safe in the real situation
I told the kids that these drills would keep them safe today and hopefully would help them later in life
I guess I'm a little more skeptical, I think that other schools will have the same problem and, probably come to a wrong conclusion, end up in court and, then have a judge tell them what to do, which will then end up in another court and, so on.
I tried to learn from other people's mistakes and problems and how situations were handled. Much more painless and I looked smart but I made some mistakes and learned the hard and costly way.
If we didn't make mistakes we wouldn't be human Charger. I love the saying, "If we don't learn from history then we are doomed to repeat it", that is a saying all of us need to take to heart.
so.. during an active-shooter drill - they are worried about someone's genitals ? i didn't realize that human genitals were so important to active-shooter drills