Vermont Police Surprise Students With Mock Shooting

Police in Burlington, Vermont, subjected a group of high school students to a simulated shooting without warning, traumatizing teenagers who were raised to hide from — and even fend off — school shooters.

In a statement, the Burlington Police Department apologized Thursday for the “presentation” it held at the station the day before.

“The role-play scenario involved only three department staff members simulating a flight scenario and was not directed at any students or faculty,” the department wrote.

Local newspaper Seven Days reported that the simulation involved police officers bursting into a room and pretending to open fire:

Two students who spoke on condition of anonymity said the class was facing the front of the room and listening to a detective speak when they heard screaming behind them. Two women came running, the students said, followed by a man wearing a ski mask and holding a gun. SO [fake] shots rang out.

According to local NBC affiliate WPTZ, school district officials said teachers were aware a gun-related protest would take place to show how unreliable witness statements can be, but had not realized that this would happen “without warning”.

Choosing to conduct a simulated shooting to teach students a lesson about eyewitness testimony is a puzzling choice in itself, given the very real threat of gun violence that Americans live with. In an era of relaxed gun laws and all-too-frequent mass shootings, active shooter drills are commonplace in schools across the United States, including preschools.

Research has shown that such exercises can have lasting effects on children's mental health, even if they are given enough warning. Gun safety advocates say other school safety measures may be more effective in preventing gun violence — and far less traumatic for students.