What to do During a School Shooting

With the frequent amount of school shootings, not only students but teachers and parents as well, wonder what to do when facing such a dangerous situation that can happen at any moment without warning.

Multiple articles have been released online, advising students what actions would be best to take during an unexpected event. Victims of such events have also shared their experiences and have given tips in case anyone sadly has to go through a similar experience.

According to Dr. Pete Blair, the executive director of ALERRT at Texas State University, students should form an escape plan and leave any possible threat as quickly as possible. If you don’t have time to develop a plan and execute it rapidly, then the students or victims should not in any circumstance allow the shooter to enter their location.

As soon as you’re aware of any possible threat lock the doors and windows, barricading the doors with any nearby resources such as desks and chairs so the shooter doesn’t have an easy access inside. Turning off the lights might also provide some help. Barricading and locking doors may prove to be the most helpful set of actions to take. The shooter will most likely be a student, and they’ll most certainly know their way around campus, so the best action to take would be to keep them away from the inside of a classroom.

According to ABC News, Bob Stuber, a former police officer, stated that it’d be best for students to avoid classrooms with no windows. By entering a classroom with no windows, the student would place themselves in a dead end where the shooter could easily get to them once they’re passed a locked door. Windows can provide an exit to the threatening situation so the students can get out of it alive.

One other place Stuber recommended that students should avoid is the bathroom, because it can also be a dead end since they normally have no windows. But if a student does find themselves stuck in a bathroom, then it’s best for them to get creative with the resources presented to them. The former police officer mentioned how they could use the soap found in bathroom and rub it over the floor in front of the door, so if the shooter does show up they will have difficulty navigating inside and can possibly injure themselves.

Stuber also mentioned that if ever faced with such a danger, that it’s best to not follow the rules. If you have to break windows to get out safely, then do it. It may be against school rules but when it really gets down to that moment, you have to take serious and quick actions.

Even in the rush of fear, it can be helpful to get creative and not follow rules, because when the time comes there’s no guarantee that you will be prepared. Even if you go through countless of drills over and over again, when placed in a dangerous situation one will react differently, but it’s always good to know different ways to exit such a situation safely.