Teachers Train To Fight Potential ShootersCHARLOTTE, NC- When it comes to protecting children at school, shutting the classroom door doesn't have to be the only option. A Gaston County martial arts instructor is training teachers how to fight potential intruders. Forestview school teacher, Lindsay Dickerson says the she feels more confident will self defense skills, "I would much rather fight and try and protect the kids rather than follow a procedure, it is empowering to know that there are other options." Teachers could just lock the door, shut off the lights and hide. Ryan Hoover is the owner of Ryan Hoover's Extreme Karate. Hoover says teachers need to be prepared, "If a shooter comes through the door, the teacher that is in that door way with those 25 kids has an option other than just covering them up with their body." Hoover is the brains behind "Safer Campus," a program that trains school employees how to handle a shooter on campus, "It's a scary, daunting, emotional simulation. We have a lock down, then we have a shooter come in breaches the door and we time how long it takes to shoot." According to the active shooter report by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, a typical school shooting is often over within 10 to 15 minutes, usually before police even reach the scene, that means those on the ground need to be mentally and psychically prepared to deal with an active shooting situation. Dickerson says the classes have made her feel more confident, "You get more and more comfortable, the more classes you take you start to see things in a different way, it's changed my outlook." Hoover says getting educators to think differently is crucial, "The truth is violence may be the answer, its like saying poison is a bad thing to put in your body, well that's true unless you call that poison chemotherapy." A concept that Dickerson says is a reality, "If someone is coming in with a gun and its your child in the room, if it was me, I would want that teacher to go to an extreme necessary in order to protect them." Ryan Hoovers is bringing his seminar to Charlotte on March 16th. The seminar will be help at Kipp Charlotte School and is free for all school employees. |
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